Kelowna Mounties have seen a dramatic increase in their workload and the main culprit is pocket dialing. In a recent comparison between the first quarter of
2011 to the first quarter of 2012, a 14 per cent increase in files was
found, said Const. Kris Clark. That translates to nearly 2,000 more files assigned to
police officers, but the most startling statistic is that over half of
them were abandoned 911s which is an increase of nearly 480 per cent
from the same period last year, 218 compared to 1,044. As the police have a duty to ensure that no one is
injured or requires police services, each abandoned 911 is deemed to be
an emergency situation until proven otherwise. This means that typically
two members are required to respond, tying up resources and potentially
taking them away from a real emergency. "Abandoned 911s constantly tie up resources that
certainly could be better spent elsewhere," said Supt. Bill McKinnon.
"But, the work has to be done because if even one of those calls turns
out to be real, it would be impossible to justify why we didn't go. All
we are asking, is for people to be more responsible with their cell
phones." A pocket dial is an accidental call placed from a cell
phone while it is in the owner’s pocket. This can be avoided by
following a few simple rules:
1) Lock your phone
2) Keep your phone in a case or holster
3) If you’ve placed a pocket dial call, answer the subsequent follow-up call
Old, deactivated cells phone should have their battery removed as they can still call 911, even without an active account.
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