Police ask residents not to call 9-1-1 for delayed Amber Alert
Posted March 19, 2019 9:52 pm.
Last Updated March 20, 2019 7:24 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Police are reminding residents that 9-1-1 is for emergencies only after several people called to complain about receiving the Amber Alert Tuesday afternoon.
An Amber Alert was sent out around 5 p.m. after a five-year-old girl was allegedly abducted from her Armadale Public School classroom by her father in Markham.
As a direct result of the alert, police received a tip from a concerned citizen and the father and daughter were found in the area of Fairburn Drive.
The Amber Alert was cancelled around 6 p.m. but several residents report that they are still receiving the alerts several hours later on their cellphones or televisions. Police say they have been inundated with calls to the 9-1-1 emergency line by people complaining about the alert.
Toronto police spokeswoman Katrina Arrogante says the emergency line is not to be used for such complaints.
“If you are still receiving the alerts, it’s technical issue. It’s not a 9-1-1 emergency,” she told 680NEWS.
Anyone still receiving the alert is being referred to alertready.ca for concerns or complaints.
Residents are asked to refrain from calling 9-1-1 so that the lines can remain open to respond to real emergencies.
