First he asked if people should be charged for dialling 999 now a Tayside Police union boss has suggested all calls to the police should be free instead.
Sergeant David Hamilton, secretary of Tayside Police Federation, believes action is needed to ensure emergency lines are kept clear of inappropriate or hoax calls.
His original suggestion, as revealed by The Courier last week, was that introducing a 50p charge for dialling 999 would stop people using it inappropriately.
He believes it is becoming harder for police to cope with inappropriate or hoax calls due to budget cuts and the finite number of phone lines available to them.
That proposal was denounced by Tayside Police and politicians, who claimed it could stop people calling for help because they did not have enough credit on their mobile phones.
Mr Hamilton has now put forward another suggestion to ensure 999 is only called in true emergencies, however making all calls to the police free.
Writing for the Police Oracle, Mr Hamilton said the issue is not how much calls to the police cost but how to ensure people can get through when there is a genuine emergency.
He said: “Many have focused on an easily solvable detail needing the emergency services when you have no mobile phone credit.
“But that misses the underlying issue. If you have 10 emergency lines all tied up with inappropriate calls then it doesn’t matter how much credit you have, you still won’t get through.
“It is the demand that has to be managed. That is the central problem, and the reason why the debate remains vital.”
He has now put forward an alternative proposal for encouraging use of non-emergency lines making calls to them free too.
“Helpfully, a consensus has emerged that we have a problem which needs to be addressed,” said Mr Hamilton.
He was asked to comment but did not respond.