Brampton, Ontario mayor motion could lead to fines for inappropriate 911 calls

Brampton, Ontario Mayor Patrick Brown has put forward a motion that could lead to Peel Region residents being fined for improper 911 calls.

During a meeting on Thursday, Brown called for staff to investigate “negligent use of the 9-1-1 system.” He notes that Peel Regional Police report that of the approximately 1,800 calls it receives daily, more than 40 percent (720) are “deemed non-legitimate, inappropriate or misuse.” On top of that, regional police note that more than half of the over 100,000 calls to 911 it’s received over the past two months have been either hang-ups or non-emergent.

To help curb all of this, Peel Regional Police has been sharing examples of wrongful 911 calls on its social media channels, such as those who rang in to complain about their Tim Hortons order or broken TV. Naturally, police are urging people to only call 911 for medical emergencies, gunshots, active crimes and other serious incidents.

Amid this increase in inappropriate 911 calls, Peel says it’s seen a 27 percent increase in total calls since 2022 — its most significant jump in volumes to date. Of course, responders have no way of knowing which of these calls is legitimate, so those who are misusing the line only take their valuable time away from those who actually need it.

Brown’s full motion can be found here.

Via: Insauga