( dpa ) - Almost six out of 10 emergency calls made to Hong Kong police are nuisance calls or misdialled numbers, officials said Sunday.
During 2007, the police control centre in the former British colony received 2.2 million 999 calls, of which only 946,005, or 42 per cent, were genuine
The figures were released Sunday by the Hong Kong police along with an appeal to the public not to use the 999 number except in the case of emergencies.
A spokesman said misuse of the hotline could hamper the handling of genuine emergencies and therefore endanger lives.