Hamilton man charged for calling 911 to complain about Amber Alert

Hamilton police have charged a 70-year-old man after he allegedly called 911 to complain about a recent Amber Alert.

Police say a man called 911 just after 5 p.m. on Tuesday. He said he did not have an emergency and was calling to purposely tie up emergency lines.

They say the man was angry about receiving the Amber Alert on his phone since “he was trying to rest.” Police say the man stated he would continue to call in response to the ongoing alert.

Hamilton police launched an investigation to identify the caller and charged Douglas Bagshaw, of Hamilton, with mischief.

He was released on a promise to appear and is scheduled for a court date on Oct. 15.

The Amber Alert was issued by Niagara police after five children were allegedly abducted in the region on Tuesday. The children were located safe and in good health the following day.

RELATED STORY
Five children who were subjects of an Amber Alert found safe

Police are reminding residents that Amber Alerts are a warning system that quickly alerts the public of a suspected abduction of children who are in imminent danger. “Law enforcement agencies must meet strict guidelines before an Amber Alert is issued. Alerts are an instrumental tool in assisting the public and police with locating a child who may be in danger,” said police in a news release.

There have been several instances in 2019 where local police service emergency lines were bombarded by callers complaining about the alerts.

An online petition calling for charges to be laid against those who tie up emergency lines for non-emergency calls has garnered more than 18,000 votes.

“Non-emergency calls take up valuable resources and potentially delay responding to those individuals in a genuine emergency,” said police. “A 911 emergency is when someone needs help right away because of an injury or an immediate danger.”

Hamilton police received 195,000 calls in 2018 of which nearly one-third were not emergency calls.