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What does ほか mean when it is used in a sentence like this: [situationA] ほか, [situationB]"
Specifically I would like a little help clarifying the following sentence:
事件事故が減った
ほか、緊急時以外の通報の減少が主な要因とみられる。
I am familiar with ほか in other situations, but I'm not sure how it's used here. As far as I can figure out, it's either along the lines of "It's not that the number of accidents has decreased, but..." or "The number of accidents has decreased, but more importantly...".
It means "besides". It confirms the existence of [situationA], and states that there is another [situationB]
Your example may be translated as:
Besides the decrease of the number of emergencies(accidents, ...), the decrease of the calls when there is no emergency is an important reason.
