Image Credit: Shutterstock
March 21, 2017 - 6:30 PM
PENTICTON - A series of 911 calls that activated Penticton emergency services for approximately 40 minutes last week could have interfered with a real emergency, police say.
Penticton RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth says on Tuesday, March 14 around 1:20 p.m., police received a call from a child who said the airport was being robbed.
While police responded to the call, the child made another 911 call to the fire department to report a fire. A third call was then made by the child, who said he was calling from Chilliwack, where his mother had fallen.
Wrigglesworth says dispatchers located an address for the caller and Penticton RCMP officers went to the Hemlock Street home, where they found a six-year-old who was making the calls while not under the direct supervision of his grandfather.
The boy was spoken to at length by police with respect to making false 911 calls.
“Parents need to have those conversations with their children about the importance of the 911 emergency system," he says. "When these types of things happen, an actual serious call where someone is in actual need of assistance could be delayed, and affect a life and death situation."
To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2017