BEIJING - Lawyers and relatives of suspects in detention centers will be able to make appointments via phone calls or the Internet, according to Chinese police's new measures to improve their service.

It will help save waiting times of lawyers and relatives when visiting suspects, said a statement released by the Ministry of Public Security on Wednesday.

Making appointments using telephones has been adopted by several detention centers in some cities, such as Beijing. The police have been developing a website for the appointment service.

The ministry said the measures will be applied nationwide soon but did not give the exact timetable.

It was announced as one of the measures to improve the police's service. Other measures include the launch of a nationwide emergency call service using text messages.

Currently, people call the police through the phone number "110," equal to 911 in the United States, and soon they will be able to text to the number "12110" requesting help.

The text service will help the hearing-impaired and other people when conditions do not allow them to phone the police for help, the statement said.