MONTREAL (AFP) - Police in Montreal, hoping to cut down on emergency calls, have launched a new online tool enabling the public to report violations of the government's Covid-19 social distancing rules in the Canadian city.

The website of the city's police service directs users to a link for reporting situations "related to non-compliance with government guidelines and measures".

"The report may relate to, for example, a prohibited gathering, non-compliance with sanitary or social distancing measures in a business or the operation of a non-essential business," it says.

It adds that calls to the 911 emergency line or contact with local police stations are not necessary if a report is filed online.

Police spokesman Andre Durocher told AFP the goal is to free up 911 operators to focus on more urgent calls.

He said it wasn't meant to encourage people to "inform" on others.

"We don't want people to spend the day at their window watching what their neighbour is doing. That is not the goal of this exercise," he said, adding it was only intended to ensure that the rules are respected.

Like their counterparts elsewhere in Quebec, the Montreal police have instructions to crack down on people who flout the guidelines.

Fines for violations are stiff, rising to as much as C$1,546 (S$1,576). The Montreal police have given out more than 700 such fines in a month, as well as another 300 court summonses.