Non-Emergency Calls

911 should be called in EMERGENCIES only: when the situation is life-threatening or could become life-threatening in the imminent future.

If you need police assistance for a non-emergency situation (for example, more than 15 minutes have passed since the incident occurred, there are no injuries, the suspects are nowhere to be seen and their location is unknown), please use your local ten-digit non-emergency numbers.

Examples of non-emergency calls

• Reporting a crime with no suspect (example: theft of a license plate)
• Reporting a crime with suspect, but the suspect is not on the scene (example: fraud)
• Reporting a serious crime with suspect, but with a lengthy delay (example: assault that occurred last night at a bar)
• Non-emergency in progress (example: noisy party)
• On-going crime issues or crimes that are not in progress (examples: graffiti or ongoing drug dealing with no suspect on the scene)
• A suspicious circumstance that may indicate an ongoing criminal activity (example: marijuana grow operation)

Take a moment to look up your local non-emergency number and keep it in a visible place close to your phone, or add it directly to your cellphone’s list of contacts.

If you need police assistance that is not of an emergency nature (for example, your situation is a valid police matter but does not require immediate attention), please use your local ten-digit non-emergency numbers.

Your local non-emergency number should be used when immediate dispatch of the police IS NOT required because some time has elapsed since the incident occurred, the suspect is no longer at the scene of the crime, or if you are calling about a nuisance issue (example: graffiti).

If you are unsure if your situation is an emergency, dial 911. Emergency call takers will help determine if immediate action is required or if you should hang-up and dial the non-emergency line.

When NOT to call 911:

Frequently people mistake 911 as the do-all, report all number.  Please do NOT call 911 for any of these situations!

• To ask for a phone number.  Even if you are wanting the number for a hospital or a Police agency, 911 does NOT have these phone numbers nor provides telephone directory assistance
• To ask about highway conditions
• To report a power outage
• To report a water main break or flooding in your basement
• To ask for directions
• To help get a cat out of a tree.
• To complain about a loud party or loud music
• To report a theft or other crime that happened some time ago
• To report a property crime that is not happening at the time (ie. graffiti, willful damage)
• To talk to Police about ongoing issues/complaints (ie. neighborhood or bylaw complaints)
• To ask for an update in a file you have previously reported

Calling 911 for a non-emergency situation ties up important lifelines meant for people or property in immediate jeopardy or when a crime is in progress. If you call 911 for a non-emergency matter, it will not result in a faster response. Emergency situations are always given priority over situations where police response is not urgent or time sensitive and emergency operators will not take non-emergency reports on 911. Please also note that 911 call takers cannot transfer your call to the non-emergency line. You will have to hang-up and dial the ten-digit non-emergency number directly. Help us keep 911 lines free for emergencies that require immediate response by looking up your local non-emergency number.