The Ottawa Police in Canada have recently announced that they have received many 911 calls that were apparently misdialed. These calls required the police to follow up to ensure nothing bad happened to the caller, and after investigation, they found there was no emergency at all.
Police Saw An Increase in Misdialed 911 Calls From 21,000 in Q1 2022 to 50,000 During the Same Period This Year
According to CTV News, the police reported a whopping 49% increase when it came to hangups, pocket dials, and other misdials 911 calls during the first quarter of 2023, accounting for 50,000 calls, which used to be just 21,000 in the same period last year.
In a press release, Inspector Russell Lucas with the Information Directorate of the Ottawa Police Service said if people mistakenly dial 911, they should stay on the line and answer questions from the operator.
He noted that these operators need to confirm that there is no need for emergency services and that the caller is safe and, if not safe, this would allow them to deploy emergency services.
Emergency Services Pinpointed to be the Cause of an Android SOS Feature
The Canadian police believe the increase in pocket dials could be related to the SOS feature on Android devices. This feature automatically dials 911 if the side button key is pressed five times in a row.
The Ottawa police were not the only force that has experienced an uptick in these types of calls.
Police in Toronto and British Columbia Also Saw an Increase in Accidental 911 Calls
Aside from the Ottawa police, the Toronto and Peel police, according to the CBC and the RCMP in British Columbia, have started to share the same reports of receiving many accidental 911 calls.
The Ottawa police suggested disabling the SOS feature on Android. To do this, users should go to their phone's Settings app, click the Safety & Emergency SOS, and then turn it off in the settings tab under "How it Works."
Misdials Are Taking Away Valuable Resources From Actual Real Emergencies
The police encouraged people to stop programming their phones to call 911 automatically or easily. Lucas noted that every 911 call needs to be accounted for, and because of this, accidental calls could take away valuable resources.
Lucas specified that the resources taken away could have been better spent on actual emergency calls or life-threatening situations.
In a press release, the Toronto police said: "When a 911 caller does not respond to the operator, hangs up, or is disconnected, the operator must make contact by calling back."
"When it takes operators a minimum of 90 seconds to call each person back, that is time that could be better spent responding to emergency 911 calls, when every second counts," it added.
The Ottawa City documents revealed that dispatchers handled an average of 955 calls daily from 911 dials in 2022. Out of all these dials, the police handled 63% of the calls alone.
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