Lots of background noise, sometimes crying, voices ... to a 911 operator it could be an emergency situation that needs police immediately.
But recently, those calls have sent local officers to homes where small children were the callers, using old cell phones as teething devices or playtoys.
"We are getting calls and finding that it's a two-year old that has been playing with a phone given to them as a toy," says Lac La Biche RCMP Corp. Roxanne Genereaux, explaining that kids don't necessarily dial the digits on purpose, but random button pushes eventually result in the sequence being reached, or a single emergency call button is hit.
"We understand that it's something that people will give a little kid to keep them amused, but people may not realize how often we are called," said Genereaux, explaining that the call takes police officers away from other work. "It's as simple as disconnecting the battery. There's still buttons they can press, but it won't be connected."
In recent months, the local detachment has responded to several 911 calls inadvertently made by toddlers.
"It's something we think can be solved by parents," she said.
