Is Our Emergency Number 999 Working?

Very worrying to read about this opinion published on the Star Online Opinion section where a reader wrote in to complain that no one answered the call and the reader resorted to call 994 (previously assigned for fire emergencies, but now 999 was supposedly to handle all emergencies - previous post about this here) where the officer gave the number of the local police station to the reader... and once again, NO ONE ANSWERED THE CALL! Below, excerpts from the complain:

A robbery was taking place at a goldsmith’s opposite my workplace in Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh.

We even heard what sounded like gunfire.

I rushed to call 999 to report the robbery. For some 30 seconds, no one picked up the phone. A second attempt gave the same results.

In desperation, I dialed 994 and the call was picked up immediately.

I related what was happening to the officer at the Fire Department and he asked me to call the police station in my area and gave me the number.

I called the police station at the number given, but, again, no one answered the phone.

I alternated between calling 999 and the police station but was unable to get through to anyone at either place.

By the time I decided to give up, the robbers had already fled from the scene.

About 10 minutes later, some plainclothes policemen arrived at the scene and it was another 10 minutes before several police patrol cars arrived.