Alberta RCMP announced August 14 they have adopted a new policy of verifying alarms before responding, saying previous policy was draining resources.
Mounties in Alberta will no longer respond to alarms which are triggered only once, but will still respond to ATM, multi-zone intrusion, panic, duress, holdup, broken glass, domestic violence, and verified alarms (which includes any alarm at a school or financial institution during business hours).
A 2017 review found the RCMP received “just under 15,500 false alarm calls which equated to nearly 8,000 human resource hours that could have been dedicated to more urgent calls for service,” RCMP said.
“You can help us keep our 911 lines open and our officers free to respond to real emergencies,” says John Ferguson, Criminal Operations Officer for the RCMP’s CORE, “K” Division. “By cutting down on false alarms, we can ensure our officers are where they are needed most.”
The policy came into effect on July 13.
