Contact police
We encourage you to contact your local police service to report all crime and suspicious activity. Reporting crime can help us identify and catch suspects, track crime trends, and know how to use our resources.
Call 911 – Emergency
For police, fire or medical emergencies call 911 immediately (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
Examples of when to call 911:
- An emergency includes a fire, a crime in progress, or a medical or life-threatening incident that requires an ambulance.
- Someone’s life is in danger or there is an immediate threat to person or property.
- A crime in progress, such as a break and enter.
- When a serious crime has just happened and the suspect may still be near and/or return to the scene.
- When there is a good chance of arresting a suspect or preventing a serious crime.
When you call 911, the operator will ask if you want police, fire or ambulance and for which city. If you are unable to speak English, let the operator know which language you prefer and they will do their best to find someone who speaks the same language. For example, you could say police, Surrey, and speak Mandarin.
If you are unable to communicate for any reason, the operator will immediately send a police officer to the address that the phone number is assigned to.
Accidental 911 calls
Thousands of accidental 911 calls are received each year. To help us prevent some of these calls:
- Do not pre-program 911 into your home or cellular phones.
- Ensure your cellular phone is locked to prevent a pocket dial.
- Explain to children how and when to dial 911.
Call the non-emergency line when you need to report a crime that is not an emergency. Visit the RCMP website to locate your local RCMP’s non-emergency number: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/detach/en (English and French)
Examples of a non-emergency call
- Reporting a crime that has already been committed and there are no suspects (i.e. your vehicle was broken into overnight).
- Reporting suspicious or nuisance behaviour (i.e. a noisy party).
- Getting or giving follow-up information for a police file you have already.
Observe it. Report it.
If something seems unusual or out of place to you, follow your instincts and report it to police. Suspicious activity could include:- someone peering into cars and windows
- a stranger who looks to have no purpose for being in the neighbourhood
What is needed when you call the police?
Telecommunications operators are highly trained to gather specific information from you through a series of questions. By staying on the line, remaining calm, and answering the questions, you can help guide our response. As you are answering these questions, the telecommunications operators are relaying the information to the police officer that is on route to your location.
Some of the questions the telecommunications operator will ask you are:
- What is the incident being reported?
- When did it happen?
- Where did it happen?
- Who is involved?
- Why do you think this happened?
The operator may also ask if there is any alcohol, drugs or weapons at the scene so they can provide the information to the officers who are attending.
If you are involved in a police incident as a suspect, witness or victim, the officer will ask for your:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Address and phone number.
This information will be entered into a secured police database. Your information will not be given out to anyone else or used for any other purpose.
Reporting a crime anonymously
- If you wish to report a crime anonymously you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online.
- Crime Stoppers take information in over 115 languages.
- You can report a crime by visiting the police service in your community.
- You can text 9-1-1 if you are a pre-registered deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired person.
Making an online report
Certain types of crime can now be reported online. Check your local police service web page to see if there are online reporting capabilities.
If online reporting exists in your area, categories for reporting include:
- Lost or stolen property under $5,000 (no suspect).
- Vandalism or break-in to car under $5,000 (no suspect).
- Hit and run with damage under $5,000 (no suspect).
- A traffic violation such as dangerous driving.
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