Caller upset about a hamburger rang 999, Police Scotland reveal

Police Scotland say they have taken more than 600,000 999 calls since April

A customer complaining about a burger bar and someone wanting to buy milk are among a list of time-wasting 999 calls released by Scottish police.

A caller even dialled officers on 999 to ask: "What's your non-emergency number?"

The examples, from the first six months of the merged Police Scotland force, have been tweeted throughout the day.

A spokesman said some requests were amusing but time-wasters meant genuine 999 calls could be left in a queue.

Police Scotland service centres answer 999 calls and non-emergency 101 calls.

Since the force formed in April 2013, they have taken 888,783 calls on 101, and 648,818 calls on 999.

The force said inappropriate calls slow the process of answering genuine ones

One drunk person called 999 to report a woman for using drugs. Officers revealed: "We asked how he knew this. He said: 'Because I collect them for her'."

A common time-wasting call was said to be: "I cannae afford a taxi home, any chance of a lift?"

The caller who complained about a burger restaurant, said he had been given a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger.

Another caller asked: "There's a pigeon with a broken wing in my garden, can you come out and help?", while someone wanted Scottish officers to go to a house in Tottenham, to see if their friend was having an affair.

And one woman asked police to come to her home because she wanted her son to get a haircut.

Police Scotland's Sgt John Kerr said: "You should call 101 any time when it isn't a 999 - any time when it isn't an emergency.

"Examples are when you've been involved in a minor traffic accident, if you've been the victim of a minor crime that isn't ongoing, if you've seen a missing person and you want to talk to your local police officer, any time when you want to speak to the police when it isn't an emergency."