St. Paul mounties are saying around 100 calls to 911 that were either hang-ups or pocket dials are a cause for concern.
A review by police says the calls came over the last three months.
“These calls require a police response to investigate and ensure the safety of the caller. This equates to hundreds of human resource hours that could have been dedicated to more urgent calls for service,” says the St. Paul RCMP detachment.
Mounties are asking the public to try and help cut that number down. A few tips the RCMP say can help in this situation include:
· If you accidentally dial 911, do not hang up. Stay on the line and let the call taker know it was an accident. If you hang up, the call taker will need to call you back to determine why you called and confirm there is no emergency.
· Don’t program 911 into your telephone—speed dials can lead to accidental calls.
· Keep your cell phone locked or in a standby mode and in a safe location to prevent accidental or pocket dial calls.
· Don’t allow children to play with the telephone or cell phone. It is not a toy.
· Lock it before you pocket your device—to avoid unintentional calls to 911.
· To assist investigators in helping you if you are in need of assistance, if you are using an application for cellular services, or a VOIP service, register your address and keep it updated.
Mounties say if the call is less urgent, to call the detachment administrative line instead.
“You can help us keep our 911 lines open and our officers free to respond to real emergencies,” says Staff Sergeant Greg Stannard, Detachment Commander of the St. Paul RCMP. “By cutting down on false 911 calls, we can ensure our officers are where they are needed most.”