One-in-five 9-1-1 calls
One-in-five 9-1-1 calls for police not an emergency
E-Comm reached out to British Columbians with a month-long campaign between November and December 2017 to bring attention to the number of non-emergency calls tying up emergency lines.
During the advertising and social media campaign that included radio ads and posters on transit shelters across Metro Vancouver, E-Comm asked people to not let non-emergencies compete with real ones.
Using recent E-Comm estimates showing one-in-five 9-1-1 calls for police isn’t an emergency, E-Comm Manager of Corporate Communications Jasmine Bradley explained the reasons for the campaign in media interviews. “Anytime a 9-1-1 line is taken up for a matter that doesn’t require immediate assistance from first responders, it occupies that lifeline for someone who needs it for a life or death situation.”
E-Comm outlined recent examples of police matters at its centre that should have been reported on non-emergency lines, not 9-1-1:
- Vehicle break-in that happened three days earlier
- Motor vehicle crash with no injuries and the vehicle was driveable
- A break-in that occurred 90 minutes earlier, with no suspect on scene and no one at risk
Police call-taker Jefferey Ching also spoke to the media about his experiences dealing with non-emergency calls received on 9-1-1 lines. “I hope people will help us by taking the opportunity to learn more about the differences and to keep their local non-emergency numbers on hand if need be.”
Non-emergency numbers within E-Comm’s service area are available at nonemergency.ca.
