Ministry calls for merger of emergency numbers across the nation

BEIJING - If an emergency happened to you, would you be calm enough to decide which number to dial: 110 to report a crime, 122 for traffic accidents, or 119 for fires?

To help those who would say "no" to the above question, the Ministry of Public Security is planning to merge the three numbers into one. The change will bring the emergency-reporting system more into accordance with practices in other countries, according to the ministry.

Zhou Mudi, a student in Britain for four years, said Britain's single emergency number - 999 - is easier to remember than China's three numbers.