Shanghai's 110 police line now offers 24 hour services in English, Japanese, Russian, German, French, Spanish, Arabic and Korean, Youth Daily reported today.

The city set up its first volunteer team yesterday, with 33 police officers as members, to answer the 110 police line for non-Chinese speaking callers.

Foreigners who call for help will be put through to a three-party telephone conference, with a translator and a dispatch officer.

"The volunteer officers will have their mobile phones on at all times in case of any emergency," said an official with the city's bureau of public security.

Shanghai has become a favorite tourism destination and investment hub for foreign people, so many live in the city.

"We have received 1,647 reports from foreigners till the end of last year," an officer with the bureau told the newspaper.

(Shanghai Daily January 10, 2007)