Toronto police say they declined to come out to a local restaurant on Wednesday when a man there was accused of failing to flush the toilet after using it.
Police spokesman Mark Pugash says the call was particularly egregious, since the alleged incident took place about eight hours before it was reported.
Pugash says attendants did not gather much information about the call, such as what led to the incident or where it took place.
He says the priority was on freeing up the line for genuine emergencies rather than matters of etiquette.
Police acknowledge failing to flush a toilet isn't polite, but says calling the cops to report it leads to another kind of waste.
Pugash says emergency dispatchers and police officers need to be left free to attend to more pressing matters.
