Penticton RCMP plagued by nuisance 911 calls

PENTICTON – Penticton RCMP are asking the public to be aware of pocket dialling 911 after the detachment recently experienced a sudden rash of 911 calls.

Cpl. Ted Manchulenko says the detachment has been dealing with up to four disconnected 911 calls a day over the past week.

“They’re time consuming, resource consuming, and for the most part they don’t amount to anything other than a waste of time, because it’s usually a pocket dial, or someone messing around with their phone,” Manchulenko says, adding tracing a cell or pay phone location can be time consuming.

Manchulenko says some of the calls came from the Penticton Community Centre and points out it was during Spring Break.

“Whether it’s kids messing around or not, it doesn’t matter. People should be cognizant of the fact if you have the cell phone in your pocket and you’re hitting 911, it’s a problem for us,” he says.

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.