911/Emergency Communications Unit

When to Call 911

In 2010, our Emergency Communications / 911 Unit received 424 separate 911 'hang up' calls.  While many of these calls are legitimately from persons who, for whatever reason, are unable to speak, numerous calls are also from persons who are abusing the system or in some cases don't know when they should call 911.

The following is a guideline that will assist you and your family in deciding when to call 911:

• When someone's safety or health is in immediate risk or danger.
• When someone's property is in immediate danger.
• When any crime has occurred and the suspects may still be nearby.
• If you are suspicious but are not sure, call 911. Best to be sure and safe.

Historical 911 Statistics Comparisons

911 call statistics show a 29.49% increase from the previous year. The 2010 increase in Peterborough is attributed to (3) major incidents that created a large volume of 911 calls including the house explosion on Raymond St, the drowning in Inverlea Park and the Lansdowne Street W. natural pipe rupture. The increase in Lakefield calls is due to additional cellular antennas installed and computerized digital data collection.

	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
Peterborough	24854	19548	19599	19964	21099	21162
Lakefield	3204	2119	2132	2007	495	458
Total	28058	21667	21731	21971	21594	21620

Further "snapshot" analysis of 911 data identified primary calls were distributed as follows:

• 66% Police
• 30% Ambulance
• 4% Fire

911 Silent Calls

Silent calls are those 911 calls where the caller does not or is unable to communicate with dispatch staff. These calls are treated as Priority Level #1 (Immediate Response) requiring 2 officers to be sent as they are responding to an unknown situation. Many of these calls are domestic related and lead to arrests.

In 2010 our service responded to 424 silent calls, an increase of .5% over 2009.

	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
911 Silent Calls	424	422	461	433	438	429