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The independent panel reviewing the country's 111 system considered a proposal to bill calls to report crimes - without Government knowledge.
The user-pays-type plan was one of several options looked at by a review board charged with reducing pressure on the 111 system and recouping costs involved in answering the 1.7 million emergency calls police receive annually.
Under one of the proposals considered by the review board, anyone making non-urgent calls to police would be charged. Non-urgent calls are incidents where the situation is "not dangerous and immediate action isn't required". That includes crimes such as burglary, theft, minor assaults and some traffic incidents.
Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald, national manager of the country's communication centres, confirmed the idea had been looked at.
But it was canned on Friday after it was brought to the attention of Police Minister Annette King.
"The idea that people would pay [to report crime] is simply not acceptable," her spokesperson said.
