A controversial hotline for the public to report non-emergencies has proved a fiasco, police said.
Officers piloting the 101 number revealed they are being deluged by ridiculous questions about train times and local tourist attractions.
As many as two out of every three calls made to the 10p hotline are 'inappropriate'.
Other callers are ringing which genuine emergencies which need a 999 fire service or ambulance response instead.
Now Hampshire Police are calling for its roll-out across the country, which will cost hundreds of millions of pounds, to be placed on hold until Ministers have proof of its worth.
It is an acute embarrassment for Labour, which made introduction of the hotline a manifesto commitment to ease pressure on the police and give frustrated homeowners an easy way of reporting anti-social behaviour.
The number - billed for situations where 'it's less urgent than 999' - has proved a headache from the start.
Originally, the Home Office wanted to include drug dealing as a 101 offence after the Daily Mail revealed outrage at the plan.
Officials eventually settled on intimidation and harassment, vandalism, graffiti and criminal damage, as well as fly-tipping and other environmental problems.
But Hampshire, one of six areas to trial the hotline, said it was being jammed up with questions such as: "Can you tell me the times of trains to Brighton? I'd like someone to test my smoke alarm." and "Do you know when the next bus leaves for Southampton?"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Not surprising really. As a group, the general public are total idiots. We used to get them using the 999 system for similar imbicilic questions.