City police say 911 hang ups continue to be a ‘drain on already strained resources’. Officials say of the 193 calls for service over the weekend, 31 were 911 hang ups, with all of them requiring follow up.
That can include calling the number back, contacting the carrier company to get subscriber information and an address, and attempts to contact the phone owner in person.
“Never just hang up if it is a mistake or misdial.” says Corry Ouellette, a long-time dispatcher with the North Bay Police Service. “It is important to let the operator know that it was not a real emergency. If you do not help us with this information, this certainly takes away from the 911 centre’s ability to take calls that are emergencies, and response times may be hindered.”
Police say if you dial 911 by mistake, stay on the line, to resolve the call as soon as possible.
They also say if the police are calling you back, answer and resolve the call and if you receive a message from the North Bay Police Service, call back immediately.
Other calls for service from the weekend included disturbance and well-being or mental health calls, collisions, traffic complaints, alarms, assaults, a missing person and more.
