'Pocket dials' continue to pose problems for 9-1-1

During National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, the Halton Regional Police Service has joined with Toronto Police Service, York Regional Police, Durham Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police and Peel Regional Police to raise awareness of the ongoing problems associated with ‘pocket dials’.

Halton Regional Police have been inundated by nearly 11,000 false 9-1-1 calls over the past four months.

Approximately one third of the false calls have been attributed to ‘pocket dials’. What is a pocket dial? A pocket dial is simply a call your cell phone makes that you did not intend to dial. It is caused by numbers or presets being inadvertently pressed and subsequently the cell phone connecting with 9-1-1.

“The public need to understand that every 9-1-1 call is taken seriously and ‘pocket dials’ are compromising public safety,” said Staff Sergeant Kevin Maher, Communications Manager for the Service.

In the event you discover you have called 9-1-1 accidentally, DO NOT hang up. Let the 9-1-1 operator know it was a pocket dial, thus eliminating the need for the operator to call you back to determine if there is an actual emergency.

Given the complexity of varying devices available, police urge the public to take the requisite time to understand the inner workings of their own telecommunication device and how an accidental 9-1-1 call can be avoided.

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