Imagine that in a life-threatening emergency, you cannot get through to 110 because someone is on the other line reporting a lost hamster.

The case is not rare with the emergency number, 110, increasingly becoming a hotline for trivial daily troubles. 

The Ministry of Public Security appealed to residents yesterday in a press conference to leave 110 for those in need of urgent help. They claimed the 110 service is still a limited social resource that cannot fully meet the public demand.

Ministry figures show that among the 120 million calls received nationwide last year, at least one third were not emergencies.

Domestic arguments, pets on the roof, taxi fares, leaking pipes and locked rooms are all common reports. Some people have even dialed 110 for breakfast delivery, according to the ministry.

Cheng Renhua, director of the ministry's 110 headquarters, said such calls have added an immense burden to the already busy 110 lines, and even affected those in emergencies. He added 110 nationwide receive up to four calls every second and it takes at least 40 minutes to handle each valid report.

"We hope that people can be selective on what should and shouldn't be reported. This is the biggest support to our work," he said.

But Wang Jikun, a senior official from the ministry, said the public should not be blamed for reporting such trivialities, as "usually there is no other number they can dial for help".

"To ease the pressure on 110, setting up another special line for daily troubles might be the answer," he said, adding that some cities are already doing it.

In Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, residents can call 96111 for any daily troubles, like house maintenance and water or power cuts. Now the line is handling more reports than the city's 110 on a daily basis.

In Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, government hotline '12319' provides residents with help ranging from civic problems to weather and transportation services.

"These hotlines greatly lighten the burden on local 110 use," Wang said, adding that to have a unified number for non-emergencies nationwide is possible in the future. But currently, no specific timetable is available.

The ministry also reiterated yesterday those who maliciously harass 110 might be detained. A man in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, called 110 more than 2,560 times within two month last year for marital problems.

Meanwhile, 110 nationwide are also planning to expand their existing lines to ensure direct access without a delay.

And residents, especially the deaf and those with speech impediments, will be able to report emergencies through mobile phone text messages, ministry officials said.

So far, the service is limited to a few cities, including Shanghai, north China's Tianjin Municipality and in Guangzhou and Shantou of south China's Guangdong Province.

(China Daily January 11, 2006)