Spike in abandoned 911 calls attributed to Emergency SOS feature: RCMP

Emergency dispatchers have noticed an uptick in abandoned 911 calls these past few weeks.

According to a report from the RCMP, there has been a noticeable increase in abandoned 911 calls — and they’re blaming Android phones in particular.

They say most Android devices have a default feature built in that triggers a 911 call to be made whenever the side button is pressed five times in rapid succession.

Most often, users don’t even realize the Emergency SOS has been activated and a call is made to 911, says Supt. Mike Bhatti, spokesperson with the RCMP.

Whenever a call is made, dispatchers are required to follow up with the caller and make sure they’re safe and there isn’t any actual emergency.

As a result, abandoned calls wind up costing valuable police resources and time.

Mounties are encouraging the public to turn off the Emergency SOS feature to prevent accidental calls.

Last year, E-Comm, the company that handles 911 calls for 25 regional districts in the province including several on the Island, estimated that 20 per cent of all the calls it received were accidental.

RELATED: Hundreds of British Columbians are accidentally calling 911 every day: E-Comm

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