911 on a cell phone  © Can Stock Photo / daisydaisy911 on a cell phone © Can Stock Photo / daisydaisy
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Child calls 911 after being told to clean her room

Ontario Provincial Police are using a weekend incident to educate people on the correct use of the 911 emergency number.

Police say they were called around 3:45 p.m. Saturday to a home in Simcoe, after a nine-year-old girl had called 911. It was determined that the girl was upset after being asked by a parent to clean her room and thought police would come and help her.

The OPP reminds everyone that 911 is for major emergencies only, in which life or property is immediately threatened, and is asking parents to teach their children about the proper use of the number.

While the story behind the call may be amusing to some people, OPP Constable Ed Sanchuk said misuse of 911 is not a laughing matter.

"Whether false alarms are intentional or unintentional, they tie up the phone lines at the communications center, waste taxpayer money, tie up law enforcement officers and threaten lives," said Sanchuk.

Sanchuk said with every 911 call that comes in, it takes two officers about a half an hour on average to investigate and clear the call. This can put a strain on the resources of the OPP and impede the ability of someone with a real life-and-death emergency to get help in a situation where every minute counts.

Police say 911 is not to be used for situations like checking road or weather conditions, getting sports scores or lottery numbers, or complaining about service at businesses.

To prevent so-called pocket dialling or "butt-dialling" to 911, police recommend locking your phone with a password and making sure you know at all times what number you call. If you dial 911 accidentally, police say to stay on the line and tell the dispatcher you made a mistake, so they do not send an emergency responder to check on you.

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