Cpl. Nancy Joyce of the Bowen Island RCMP is planning to utilize the detachment's website more frequently to inform community members of relevant issues. One of the first topics she plans to communicate is when to call 911 as opposed to dialing the local RCMP office's non-emergency number (http://bowenisland.bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=1017&languageId=1&contentId=26602).
Joyce said that islanders might not be sure how to contact the police, especially outside of office hours and 911 operators receive numerous non-emergency complaints that can interfere with legitimate emergencies. She added that there is no question that if a serious injury or a crime is in progress, 911 is the number to call but in other instances, the non-emergency line is a better choice.
"This is meant as a reminder on how to use the 911 line that should be called only in emergency situations," Joyce explained. "The calls should concern things like a serious injury or relate to occasions when a response from an ambulance and fire fighting apparatus is called for." Joyce added that anything that has happened in the past or other suspicious activity can be reported through the non-emergency line at 604-947-0516.
When calling the non-emergency line after office hours, the answering service will pick up and prompt callers to either leave a message or be connected with an E-Comm operator (for more info, please see www.ecomm911.ca) who will decide whether the call warrants for the local detachment to be called out.
"I wanted to get that out to people on Bowen Island specifically because what happens is that we come into the office and there would be a message waiting that says that something is happening at that moment," Joyce said. "It might say, 'I'm here and I'm watching this happen and I would like the police to come over.' But when we get the message, the event might be over."
"We check messages for the 0516-line regularly whenever we are working," Joyce said. "but if [islanders] have something to report that requires police action outside office hours, they should follow the instructions that get them to a call taker."
There is a set of community-specific rules that E-Comm call takers follow to determine whether police officers will be called out after hours, says Joyce. "If there is a crime or suspicious activity going on, call takers will decide whether we are contacted," she said. "If, for example, someone is seen looking into the windows of homes, that would elicit an immediate response."
Joyce says that the other option that people have outside office hours is to pick up the phone at the police station and that will take them through to a non-emergency call-taker.
The message Joyce wants to relay is to call the police and don't assume that someone else has already picked up the phone.
"A lot of people think someone else will call but the other guy down the road might be thinking the same," she said. Joyce added that if she hears about an incident a week later, it might be too late to do something about it.
Another number that is available for people to call is 1-800-222-8477, the line for Crime Stoppers that offers a confidential and secure tip option. Crime Stoppers can also be contacted through the website at www.bccrimestoppers.com.
