EDMONTON- Global News has teamed up with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) for a weekly segment dealing with when you should and should not dial 911.
According to EPS, approximately 40 percent of the calls 911 operators answer on a daily basis are not emergency- related. As a result, police officers are hoping to educate people on when to call 911 and when not to call 911.
Officers urge people to call 911 in a emergency situations when someone or something is at risk, and there is a legitimate crime in progress.
Every Wednesday, a representative from EPS will appear on the Morning News to provide two examples of similar 911 calls; one that is considered a legitimate emergency and one that is not.
This week’s example has to do with break-and-enters.
In the first recording, the caller dialled 911 to report a break-and-enter which occurred hours prior to the call.
Listen to the call below:
Because the crime was not in progress, the call was transferred to the EPS non-emergency complaint line.
EPS Staff Sergeant Rein Towoski says while this situation may have been frightening, the crime was not in progress and therefore, it is not considered an emergency.
“There’s nobody there, so that’s not an emergency call,” Towoski said. “They should call the non-emergency line (780-423-4567). Or if they have a cell phone, they can call #377.”
In the second recording, the caller dialled 911 to report a break-and-enter that was in progress.
Listen to the call below:
“This is a perfect example of when to call 911. Unfortunately, currently, 911 can’t accept text calls. So, here we have a person in the house, they hear somebody in there, they know, they’re terrified, so they text for help,” said Towoski.
Towoski says break-and-enters can be terrifying, and when in doubt, he urges people to phone 911.
“That’s a real, sort of, grey area, the break and enters. They can be devastating, they are devastating, and if there’s any doubt, if you fear that somebody is inside, there’s some evidence, you hear noise, then you should call 911.”
Because responding to non-emergent 911 calls can be time consuming, police are urging Edmontonians to only dial 911 in an actual emergency.
“The trouble is that when we’re spending time with those (non-emergent) calls, we can’t get to the other ones, and seconds are huge,” Towoski said.
EPS recommends calling 911 in an emergency if:
– Your life, or that of another person, is in danger
– You are witnessing a crime in progress
– You were just in a collision and you are injured
– If you suspect that a motorist is impaired
EPS recommends calling #377 (from your mobile phone only) or 780-423-4567 for non-emergencies if:
– You need to report a crime that has already occurred, and there are no suspects or evidence
– You were in a vehicle collision and did not sustain injuries, and your vehicle is not driveable
– You want to report suspicious persons or activities
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