Triple-0 emergency call being used for ordering taxis Down Under!

Sydney, Dec 30 (ANI): The triple-0 phone number, used for emergency responses in Queensland, is being seen as a means of help for other situations also, with people calling for a recipe for roast chicken, for ordering a taxi and for airing their complaints.

Up to 60 per cent of the calls are being made from mobile phones, as the emergency number is toll free, say police.

"A man whose mobile phone was out of credit and was late to meet his girlfriend rang triple-0 asking someone to call his girlfriend for him," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted operations support command Superintendent Brian Codd as saying.

"Up to 60 per cent of triple-0 calls are now received from mobile phones.

"People are aware this is a free number they can call even when they don't have any credit," Codd said.

He said people should dial the emergency number only for life-threatening, time-critical emergencies, and not to clog up the lines, as there could be others who require an immediate or urgent response.

With as many as 5000 triple-0 calls a week and as many as 95 per cent of these calls for non-emergency reasons, police communications say that they unnecessarily test the capacity to respond to genuine emergencies.

"People also ring about minor non-injury traffic crashes, which could simply be handled by drivers exchanging details," Codd said.

"We appeal to people to use common sense and leave the triple-0 lines open for real emergencies," he added. (ANI)