A 7-year-old Ont. boy might have just added himself to next year’s naughty list after calling 911 for receiving snow pants as a Christmas gift.
Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt -- who tweeted the incident -- said the call was placed in the early evening on Dec. 25.
He said the boy was upset with his present and wanted the police to help.
Schmidt said officers took the necessary steps to ensure the call was not an emergency and police were not dispatched to the scene to investigate.
In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Schmidt told CTVNews.ca that the incident is "an awareness and educational moment" that prompts another reminder for parents and caregivers to talk to children about making 911 calls.
"Parents or caregivers need to make sure their children understand the consequences of calling 911 and what constitutes an emergency," said Schmidt.
He continued that calling 911 for a non-emergency takes resources away from other priority calls that may be real emergencies.
In a previous interview with CTV Kitchener, OPP officials said it takes approximately 30 minutes to investigate a 911 call, and responding to non-emergencies can put a strain on police resources.
"Kids need to realize that calling 911 is critical and serious,” said Schmidt. “We don’t want to waste resources going after calls that aren’t an emergency."
Schmidt said he does not know if the OPP was taking additional measures to resolve the issue.
