Police warn public about pocket dialing 911
Posted January 9, 2012 5:28 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Police from across the GTA are asking the public to “lock it before you pocket it,” after seeing a steep rise in the number of people pocket-dialing 911.
“With more and more people using mobile devices, our police services are reporting an increase in unintentional 911 calls and so-called pocket dials,” said Inspector Paulo Da Silva of York Regional Police. “When unintentionally dialed calls are made to 911 call centres, they become a public safety issue and are a drain on law enforcement resources.”
In 2011, York Regional Police received 97,886 unintentional calls to 911 from cell phones, which accounted for a whopping for 37.33 per cent of all 911 calls received in the area.
In Toronto, there were 107,000 pocket 911 dials in 2011, and 116,000 mistaken calls. In all this adds up to 18 per cent of the city’s calls, or one in five.
To avoid wasting the time of a 911 operator, police ask that you stay on the line if you accidentally dial, the emergency service – hanging up could be a sign of trouble. Lock your keypad and don’t pre-program the number into your phone. And don’t let children play with your phone.
