RCMP are reminding everyone to only use 911 for emergencies and not for any other purpose.
In major metropolitan areas police have received over 100,000 calls for service from 911 calls and say more than half of them were abandoned because they didn’t fall under urgent response.
“Abandoned calls increased by 26 per cent last year, in many instances 911 was not used for its intended use,” police say. “Approximately 25 to 30 per cent of calls received each day are false calls requiring dispatchers and police officers to divert their attention and resources for a real emergency.”
RCMP say incidents where people should not be calling 911 include asking for help moving, someone sitting on your phone, wrong takeout order and asking for public transit schedule.
Corporal Sarbjit Sangha says keeping the lines free for actual emergencies and allowing dispatchers to do their jobs is going to save lives, but they can only do that when the lines are free.
“Our 911 police dispatchers are trained to gather information and ensure help is on the way,” he says. “It’s important to keep the 911 lines open so we can provide the help when it’s needed most.”
Reasons 911 should be used are when someone’s life is in danger, a crime is in progress, when a serious crime has taken place and the suspect may still be in the area, and when there is a good chance of arresting a suspect or preventing a serious crime.
For more information, and more reason when to call 911, visit the RCMP’s website.
