The Grenville County OPP is tired of being pocket dialled.
The OPP say they receive many 911 calls that are dialled accidentally from wireless phones that have been placed in the caller’s pocket or hand bag. Pocket dials like this place a strain on police resources. According to police when they receive a call like this they must locate the caller before sending an officer to the location to verify there is no emergency situation. When police resources are tied up answering calls like this it can prevent them from responding to real emergencies.
A few tips the OPP have for avoiding pocket dialling are to carry your phone in a holster, ensure your keypad is locked, don’t set 911 as part of pre-programmed auto-dialling and check your phone’s manual for any pocket dial prevention measures it may have.
Police add that if you accidentally call 911 you should remain on the line so you can tell the communicator it was an error, answer all questions asked by the communicator because your call will likely be put through to police and be prepared for an officer to contact you to ensure you are not being forced to tell police that everything is fine. If you have called 911 and do not realise it say your call will automatically be transferred to police when there is no response. The OPP says every agency handles these calls differently, their communicators will try to call back and if you answer they will treat the incident like an accidental call listed above. If you do not answer after repeated attempts your location will be provided to an officer, using the GPS from your phone, if available.
