West Yorkshire Police today urged people only to dial 999 in a genuine emergency as the number of calls soar.

The force has revealed that it receives an average of one 999 call a minute - but police chiefs say many do not necessitate an immediate response.

Now it has asked people to use its 0845 6060606 number for all but genuine emergencies.

Superintendent Chris Barnes, the force's head of communications, said its 999 operators' time was often being taken up with non-essential calls.

He cited a case, highlighted in the Telegraph & Argus, when Bradford taxi driver Mohammed Arif, 28, complained about the police response after he dialled 999 when his cab was shot at last month. As he was not able to make the call until five minutes later when he had travelled some distance from the scene of the shooting, police did not regard the situation as an emergency, said Supt Barnes.

"Given there was no immediate danger or crime in progress, this incident of damage did not warrant an immediate response, which was explained to the caller when he rang, five minutes after and some distance away from the scene," he said.

"We offered to attend. However, this was declined as was the suggestion he go to a police station where he would be seen. This incident will still be investigated fully."

"I would like to remind people that 999 should only be used in emergencies, primarily where there is a crime still in progress, danger to life or violence being used.

But father-of-two Mr Arif, of Great Horton, said he remained convinced that the shooting, which involved an air rifle, should have been given emergency treatment.

Force statistics show that, on a typical day, West Yorkshire police officers respond to 1,317 emergency 999 calls, go to 1,507 incidents, deal with 884 new crimes, make 278 arrests, investigate nine sudden deaths, turnout to 24 injury road accidents, issue 317 fixed penalty notices and patrol a distance of 24,682 miles.

During 2002/3, the force went to 90 per cent of all emergency calls requiring an immediate response within 15 minutes.

The number of 999 calls it received rose from 361,222 in 1998/9 to 480,824 in 2002/3.