This Day, That Year

Editor’s note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

On Jan 10, 1986, the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau in Guangdong province set up China’s first emergency hotline — 110 — which was later adopted nationwide.

Dialing the number — through which police receive reports about incidents, mainly crimes — will see officers arrive within five minutes.

Since it was opened, the hotline has played an increasingly important role in maintaining public order.

In a bid to make the number known to more people, the police have designated Jan 10 as “110 day”.

The hotline was opened in Beijing in 1993. An item in China Daily on Jan 10, 2002, showed Beijing police unveiling the symbol of the 110 service.

On average, the hotline receives more than 22,000 calls in the capital every day, according to statistics from the Beijing Public Security Bureau. In 1999, the number received about 2,200 calls every day.

The growing popularity of internet and digital devices has seen the Beijing police launch an emergency app and emergency textmessaging system, which allow information to be sent or checked via mobile phones.

To guarantee public security during the 2008 Olympic Games, the capital’s police provided an Englishlanguage service for emergency calls in Beijing. Thursday marks the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of China’s 110 police hotline.