Increased call volume during Silver City Days prompts police plea to public
By Trail Champion
It was a busy and productive weekend for the Trail and Greater District Detachment RCMP during the 2019 Trail Silver City Days, acccording to RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich.
“The RCMP responded to over 75 calls for service from Friday, May 10 to Sunday, May 12,” said Wicentowich in a press release Monday. ” The RCMP also conducted vehicle and foot patrols in the downtown Trail area. Calls for service includes reports of lost property, calls for medical assistance, panhandling, noise complaints, suspicious people and vehicles, motor vehicle accidents, numerous traffic complaints, and intoxicated people in public places.’
He also said that, notably, the RCMP received seven 9-1-1 emergency calls, two panics alarms, and one in-car service distress call that were all deemed, through police investigation, to be accidentally initiated.
“The RCMP must follow up with every emergency call to ensure the person on the other end of the line does not require police assistance,” he added. “The false calls take up valuable police time and resources. The public can assist the police by reducing these false calls by not programming 9-1-1 into their phone.
“If you do call 9-1-1- by accident, stay on the line, explain the situation, and wait for a police officer to call you back to clarify the situation. This will reduce the amount of time that it takes police to track down the people who made the emergency call.”
