Non-emergency calls are overwhelming Peel Region’s 911 service

Peel Regional Police say about 40 per cent of calls to the region’s 911 service are for non-emergency situations, which can leave some people seeking emergency assistance waiting on the phone.

Police spokesperson Tyler Bell-Morena says the number of calls to the region’s emergency call centre rose to 644,000 in 2022.

Bell-Morena expects this new record to be broken by the end of 2023.

He says nearly 40 per cent of the calls do not involve a situation where a life is in danger or a crime is being witnessed, which he says are the only acceptable reasons to call 911.

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The region’s 911 service handles police, fire and ambulance response in Brampton and Mississauga, Ont.

In one case last month, Bell-Morena says a Brampton family calling 911 to report an armed home invasion had to wait nearly four minutes to speak with an operator before abandoning the call and reaching police later.

Bell-Morena says Peel police are working to hire more 911 call operators and educate the public about non-emergency police phone lines to address this issue of public safety.

Peel police say reporting a stolen vehicle or making a noise complaint are examples of when to call the non-emergency line instead of 911.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2023.

The Canadian Press