Ajman Police have urged the public to use the 999 telephone number only in emergencies after operators took calls about prayer times and one caller phoned in with regular poetry readings.
Lt Col Hisham Abdullah Bu Shihab, director of Ajman operations room, has asked that the 901 number be used for non-emergency situations.
During Ramadan, the police control room fielded inquiries about whether the Maghrib prayer had been called so people could break their fast.
An elderly man called the operations room regularly for more than three months to talk about his life and to recite poetry for the officers.
Lt Col Bu Shihab said: "He obviously was a lonely man and needed to talk to someone – the officers did not dismiss him, but instead dealt with him in a polite and professional way," he said.
“Children call by mistake, while others call to ask about childish, innocent things,” he said.
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Lt Col Bu Shihab said that many calls came from people asking about non-emergencies, such as how to open a traffic file or how to apply for a government job.
He said that the 901 number was for non-urgent calls, where nine staff answer callers.
The public plea was made as Ajman Police unveiled a new operations room, equipped with the latest technological tools to help increase safety and cut response times.
A new system connecting the operations room with Etisalat will help officers identify the caller and their location – a potentially life-saving addition.
"In some incidents such as fires, lives were lost because locating the place took time, but now with this system, once a call is made reporting an emergency of any kind, one of three screens will show the caller's identity information and another screen will show his location," Lt Col Bu Shihab said.
The room will be electronically linked to traffic, civil defence, national ambulance and all other vital departments, which will be alerted of the report once made.
In the first three months of this year, 177,000 emergency calls were received by Ajman officers.
Maj Saeed Ali Al Madhani, deputy director of the operations room, said that several factors, including the smart map and the visual alert, contribute to improved safety.
"The smart map shows us what we call hot zones, while the visual alert, which is linked to 2,879 cameras installed in 154 institutions in Ajman including banks, exchange centres and gold shops, alert us in case of break-ins or other illegal activities," he said.
He explained that visual-alert cameras are so sensitive to motion that police even received alerts from banks when distributors left newspaper copies under the door and from ATM booths where a client slammed the door.
"The alarm goes off, we turn on the cameras linked to the place where the alarm came from to see what is happening. In one incident, we watched as thieves made an opening in a wall separating an exchange centre from another shop, then gained access – we easily arrested them before they could leave," Maj Al Madhani said.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Match info
Bournemouth 1 (King 45 1')
Arsenal 2 (Lerma 30' og, Aubameyang 67')
Man of the Match: Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal)
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000