The last call of 2016 clocked in at 11:31 p.m. on December 31st, 2016, representing the North Bay Police Service’s 30,738th call for service of the year.
The call was a 9-1-1 hang-up, from what the North Bay Police Service’s 9-1-1 call-taker identified as a decommissioned mobile phone with a signal coming from Ferguson Street. As the 9-1-1 call-taker was unable to reach the caller, she immediately dispatched police to the area to investigate. All police attempts to locate the caller were met with negative results and there were no further calls from the phone.
What to do if you dial 9-1-1 in error.
If you accidentally dial 9-1-1, do not hang up. Stay on the line and tell the 9-1-1 call-taker that there is no emergency and that you dialed in error. All 9-1-1 calls are taken seriously, including those from decommissioned mobile phones, pocket dials, and no-voice calls. When 9-1-1 call-takers get these abandoned calls, they will first try to call the caller back to determine if there is an emergency. If they are unable to reach the caller, they will immediately dispatch police to the location to investigate. The 9-1-1 call-taker will also obtain subscriber information from the phone’s service provider and will make further attempts to locate the registered owner of the phone.
To prevent an accidental 9-1-1 call:
- Keep your mobile phones away from children.
- Do not give your old mobile phones to children; they are not toys. Decommissioned mobiles can still be used to access the 9-1-1 service.
- When you’re not using your cell phone, turn it off, or lock the keypad.
- Do not program your cell phone to automatically dial 9-1-1. If your wireless phone is pre-programmed with the auto-dial 9-1-1 feature turned on, turn the feature off. Check your user manual for instructions.
