(Courtesy Saskatchewan RCMP)
Emergencies happen when you least expect them and the Saskatchewan RCMP’s Divisional Operational Communications Centre is here for you 24/7, 365 days of the year. In 2021, DOCC received 350,667 calls for service, ranging from 9-1-1 mis-dials and false alarms to serious incidents regarding matters of public safety.
Here are the top 10 calls that “missed the mark” in 2021:
- Helpdesk – A call was received from a concerned individual whose laptop had suddenly stopped working. The caller requested an RCMP officer attend to their home and fix it.
- Theft – 9-1-1 dispatchers received a call from a person wanting to report what was determined to be a romantic gesture – that their spouse had stolen their heart.
- Fishing in the dark – An angler had located a shopping cart in the water while out fishing and wanted an RCMP officer to return the cart to the store it came from.
- Not sleepy – A frustrated grandparent called 9-1-1 and complained that their not-so-sleepy grandchild was refusing to go to bed. The caller was hoping an RCMP officer could persuade the child to go to sleep.
- Just hear meowt – A 9-1-1 caller advised they seen some “suspicious activity” in the community. This caller was concerned about two cats that had been hanging around an intersection close to the caller’s home over the last few days.
- Lost and found – After a great day of golfing, a 9-1-1 caller realized that their cell phone had been left at the golf course and was requesting that an RCMP officer retrieve the cell phone for them.
- Hangry – A 9-1-1 call was received from a hangry caller as they were having technical difficulties making their lunch purchase on a restaurant’s debit card machine.
- Gummy bear – One concerned puppy parent had called 9-1-1 looking for help from an RCMP officer as their dog had gotten into the caller’s edibles.
- Upgraded room – This caller wanted to share with 9-1-1 dispatchers that the RCMP had a much nicer detention area than that at their local police station.
- Time flies –A caller was wanting to know what day it was.