PEOPLE have called police to ask them for cooking tips and help to find missing keys, officers have revealed.
One caller dialled 999 to ask whether they should put Parmesan cheese on their spaghetti bolognese.
Now, as the emergency services are in their busiest period of the year, Humberside Police and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service are urging people not to call unless it is a genuine emergency.
Superintendent Mark Johansson said the force's command centre is not an enquiry office or general help desk.
He said: "Our call handlers assist the most vulnerable people and are on hand to deal with your calls throughout the day and night.
"They will support and assist those most in need and deploy police resources whenever necessary.
"They are not, however, there as an enquiry office or general help desk – they will not help you locate your missing car keys, they will not send out police officers to a barking dog, they will not advise you on whether or not you need Parmesan on your spaghetti bolognese."
Officers are now asking people to think carefully before they dial 999 as trivial calls could potentially put lives at risk in a genuine emergency.
Supt Johansson said: "In spite of regular appeals, time-wasters in Humberside have made inappropriate 999 calls with requests for telephone numbers, travel directions and other non-urgent enquiries.
"Our call takers will deal with those genuine calls that need a police response, but some people call 999 when they don't actually need the police or when the situation is not a genuine emergency.
"Every minute spent speaking to a caller with a non-urgent enquiry jeopardises immediate responses to genuine emergencies, so please think before you dial.
"You should only ring the 999 system if there is a direct and immediate threat to life or limb or to property.
"Prompt attendance is required to catch suspects in the act of committing a crime or have just committed the crime and are in the vicinity.
"Please do not use the 999 system to report general nuisance or antisocial behaviour such as noisy neighbours or an abandoned car."
The fire service has echoed the police's appeal.
Group manager Allen Cunningham, head of community safety central support for the service, said: "While hoax calls to the fire service is thankfully not a widespread problem in the Humberside area, there are still the odd few who do not appreciate the serious impact it can have.
"As a service, we only have a limited amount of resources available at any given time.
"Engines and crews sent to false alarms or, worse still, malicious calls, are not in a position to answer genuine emergency calls as promptly as they might have been.
"We provide a 24/7 emergency response every day of the year, so time-wasting calls are putting the lives of our residents and firefighters in danger when more vulnerable members of our communities may genuinely need our assistance at times of great need such as flooding or, in the worst case, a house fire."
Mr Cunningham warned time-wasters could be punished.
He said: "We work closely with Humberside Police and will not hesitate to pursue convictions for those who waste our time, at great cost to the public purse, and put lives in danger."
Call Humberside Police on 101 if it is not an emergency.
