There are times to call 911, and there are times to just not pick up the phone.
Guelph police want you to know the proper use of the emergency line, as it could one day help save a life.
For one, calling an emergency line to complain about the pizza you had ordered being burnt, and the pizzeria refusing to make another one? Not the best idea.
There have been many examples like this over the years, said Scott Tracey, the media relations coordinator for Guelph police and a former 911 dispatch operator.
He recalled last July, and the day-long service outage with Rogers, and people flooding the 911 line about their service wasn't working. Tracey also recalls dealing with one person calling to ask for the non-emergency number "because he didn't want to look it up."
By the way, the non-emergency line for Guelph police is 519-824-1212.
Upon speaking with other dispatchers, Tracey had a few more examples of misuse of the 911 line to share:
- A young girl called 911 to report her brother cheating at Monopoly. She thought he might be guilty of fraud. The call taker called back and spoke to the children’s mother and encouraged her to discuss proper use of 911.
- A man called to report ‘suspicious lights in the sky.’ He thought it might be drones but also suggested it could be UFOs. It ended up being spotlights from a business that was holding a special event.
- A man called 911 on his neighbour because the neighbour was using a snowblower and the snow was going on the caller’s property. Officers did attend to keep the peace and had a word with the caller about appropriate use of the emergency line.
- A young woman called 911 early one morning asking for a ride home because she didn’t have any money for a taxi. No ride was offered.
- A woman called 911 to report a deer in a residential area. She was concerned it might be rabid because it shouldn’t be there. She was advised to just leave it alone and it soon ran off towards a wooded area. She called 911 again to provide that update.
The main point is, as Tracey said, while you might get a chuckle out of some of these examples, misuse of 911 is a very serious problem.
"Between pocket dials and intentional misuse, these calls can delay response for those having actual emergencies," he said. "We strongly encourage residents to familiarize themselves and their children with the correct use of 911."
Tracey said correct uses of 911 include reporting crimes in progress – including suspected impaired driving – fires, medical emergencies, a serious crime like a robbery that just happened or "other situations posing an immediate physical danger to the caller or someone else."
Guelph police is also encouraging you to use its online reporting feature on the police website in certain situations.
"Our non-emergency number should be used when calling for advice, to make a report of a crime with a delay (such as a break and enter which occurred the previous day) or for vehicle collisions without injuries," Tracey said.
You can view a breakdown of when to use 911, the non-emergency line or online reporting on the Guelph police website.
You're also encouraged to submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
"While we prefer to focus on education rather than enforcement, anyone who repeatedly misuses 911 could face charges under the Criminal Code," Tracey said. "(This includes) mischief or harassing communications."
