From a public safety standpoint, itB次元官网网址檚 the worst kind of pocket dial B次元官网网址� one that reaches 911.
Of the thousands of abandoned 911 calls that come in to Victoria police and Vancouver Island RCMPB次元官网网址檚 call centres in a year, more than half can be traced to cellphones, as they shuffle around in pockets, purses and backpacks, unwitting;ly wreaking havoc among emergency personnel
ItB次元官网网址檚 a problem thatB次元官网网址檚 highly labour-intensive, 911 officials and police say.
B次元官网网址淧olice officers are taken off the road for hours each day just to respond and verify abandoned calls,B次元官网网址� said Steve Cox, manager of the RCMPB次元官网网址檚 Operations Communications Centre in Courtenay. B次元官网网址淭hat precious time could be spent on investigating more serious offences and responding to real emergencies.B次元官网网址�
At the Victoria communication centre, 5,273 calls to 911 were abandoned last year, out of 43,791 calls. Islandwide, the RCMP communication centres received 162,945 calls, of which 14,825 were abandoned.
When calls are abandoned, the number is called back to verify whether there is an emergency.
If the caller canB次元官网网址檛 be reached, a police officer is dispatched to locate the caller. To do so, the cellphone service provider must be contacted to obtain the callerB次元官网网址檚 information and the phoneB次元官网网址檚 GPS co-ordinates can sometimes be tracked.
B次元官网网址淚n (a) span of four months in the first quarter of this year, we calculated that just between 96 and 130 hours were spent by operators in locating and verifying abandoned calls. That time is exponentially longer for police officers on the road to follow up on abandoned calls,B次元官网网址� Cox said.
To avoid the problem, police say people should keep their cellphones out of their pockets and lock the keypad. Do not program 911 into your speed dial list.
Const. Mike Russell with Victoria police said callers shouldnB次元官网网址檛 hang up if 911 is called, even by accident.
B次元官网网址�911 is reserved for emergencies and should only be called for situations involving a crime in progress, an imminent threat to life, bodily injury, or major property damage or loss,B次元官网网址� Russell said.
B次元官网网址淗owever, if you misdial 911, please donB次元官网网址檛 hang up. Remain on the line and explain your error.B次元官网网址�
ecardone@vicnews.com
