911 wait times in Peel down 78% over last year

Wait times for people calling 911 in Peel are down 78 per cent in 2024, police and regional officials say.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown called the reduction "extraordinary" at a news conference Tuesday, and lauded police for making changes to ensure people in crisis can reach help faster. 

"The system wasn't where it needed to be," Brown said.

Officials attributed the swift change to a variety of factors, including hiring new staff, conducting an information campaign about misuse calls and instituting a new automated callback system.

That system, police say, has processed over 75,000 hang-up calls. Previously, 911 responders would have to manually call back anyone who called but hung up.

Now, this new automated system will immediately call back if the person on the other end hangs up, and they can choose to connect with an operator if needed, or hang up if the call was an accident.

Hold times in the region used to be between a minute and a half to two minutes on average, but now they're down to 14 seconds — something Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah called "quite a remarkable change.

"This is about people, education and technology that has seen an impact," he said.