The EDITORIAL from Monday, April 15th, 2013 Chronicle Journal...a MUST READ.!!!

Please be sure whom to call

Monday, April 15, 2013

 

In last year’s citizen satisfaction survey about 28 per cent of respondents said they or someone in their family was a direct victim of a crime in Thunder Bay. Of that 28 per cent, more than 70 per cent said they reported that crime to police.

That, in itself, is interesting for two reasons. First, nationally, only about 33 per cent of crime victims report their crime (the local number flies in the face of recent rhetoric that states people are afraid of the local police force, but we digress).

Second, part of the reason that number is so high is that police in Thunder Bay routinely get calls about things that don’t fall remotely within the realm of core police services.
Noise complaints, such as barking dogs, fall under the purview of bylaw enforcement, for example. The same goes for finding a used syringe in the back lane — there are agencies that specifically deal with retrieval and disposal of these potential hazards.

Police aren’t the only emergency service that’s forced to deal with calls better responded to by someone else.

Superior North EMS paramedics routinely deal with psycho-social issues, for example. Sometimes people don’t have shelter, or they’re in need of a meal or spiritual support. Sometimes those same people are dealing with a mental illness. It can be understandable that they’d call 911.
And, more importantly, better safe than sorry. That man passed out in the alley may just be drunk and sleeping it off. He may also be in legitimate need of emergency medical care — of course any concerned passer-by will call 911, as they should.

The fact is, however, that in many cases, police and paramedics aren’t always the best equipped when it comes to dealing with certain issues. Some of it can be offset by public education. The police are moving toward that, putting the word out about services — such as those that dispose of used syringes — in the hopes the calls will go to the right place.

Paramedics in Thunder Bay are now subscribing to a community approach, whereby they can work with police and get those in need of specific social services in touch with a caseworker who can help in ways that don’t require hours and hours in the hospital or at the police station.

It could all be streamlined if more people made use of the 211 number instead of 911, but, again, these are often very vulnerable people who are in need of specific supports that are often difficult to navigate.
However, in some cases, we should do what we can to avoid tying up the emergency dispatchers and freeing up police and paramedics to perform their core services.

Barking dogs, for example, are not a police concern. That’s bylaw, and bylaw should be the first call. If in doubt, call 211.

It’s a tough balancing act, to be sure. It’s not fair to ask anybody to refrain from calling 911 when they truly believe it’s necessary. On the other hand, using your best judgment may make considerable difference for our local emergency workers struggling under very heavy workloads.