Nuisance callers dial up a 999 logjam.

I was reading today’s newspaper (Home section) and noticed a captivating article on people who abuse the use of emergency calls to the police.
In the recent years, there have been many cases of pranksters swamping police hotline while some others treat it as a phone directory or complain bureau.

One irate man called after midnight to rant about a group creating a din at a coffe shop. Another caller queried the officers on how she could claim the arrears in her salary. From this incident, we can see how Singaporeans abuse these resources.

K. Shanmugam Second Minister of Home Affairs said that last year, amongst the 1.5 million calls received, 6 out of 10 calls were nuisance calls. Most of this calls were about complains of noisy neighbours or disrupting work sites.

I feel that this article is an event-driven one. There is no obvious sign of any shocking happenings in the first few paragraphs. It has great emphasis on the subject of nuisance calls and it shows how we abuse the use of these resources. It also tells us the thoughts of the police officers regarding this issue and how this will affect them in their job. Furthermore, we can gain more information on how to be a good citizen by abiding by the rule including dialling 999 only for emergencies. It also inform us on what grave danger can our seemingly minor mistake cause. It also gives examples on how some inconsiderate citizens misuse this resource.