Pocket dials make up over half of 911 calls to OPP detachment

The South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police detachment got plenty of 911 calls last year, but over half of them were pocket dials from cellphones.

In total, the detachment received 605 calls to 911 in 2014, with a whopping 55 per cent of those classified as pocket dials. Just one per cent of all 911 calls last year, or six in all, were actual emergencies.

The rest of the 911 calls were either a result of accidental misdials by people using a telephone, a child playing with a phone, or phone line trouble. 

The force is suggesting people put their cellphones into lock mode before placing them in a pocket or bag to avoid accidentally dialing 911. 

The overall number of accidental dials from cellphones remained largely the same as the previous year – there were 323 accidental cellphone calls to 911 in 2013 compared to 332 accidental calls in 2014.