OAKVILLE - Halton police are issuing a reminder to parents after they say a young child used an out-of-service cell phone to call 911, tying up emergency services.
They say 911 operators kept the child on the line for an hour and a half while officers knocked on more than 50 doors looking for them to make sure they were OK.
Police say it turns out the child was using the old phone as a toy, and had also called 911 from it the previous night.
Halton police say they receive hundreds of such calls a year, and while they “love talking to our youngest citizens,” there can be serious consequences for those who are truly in need of emergency services.
They say if operators can't tell if the call was a mistake or made by a kid playing with a phone, they have to send officers out.
They say it's an important safety feature that out-of-service cell phones can make calls to 911, but it means they shouldn't be given to kids as toys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2020.
