Hamilton Police have arrested and charged a male with Mischief after calling 911 to complain about the October 1, 2019, Amber Alert. The Amber Alert was issued by Niagara Regional Police Service in response to five missing children from the area.

At 5:04 p.m. on October 1, 2019, Hamilton Police received a 911 call from a male who stated that he did not have an emergency and was calling 911 to purposely tie up emergency lines. The male was angry about receiving the Amber Alert on his phone since he was trying to rest. He indicated he would continue to call in response to the ongoing alert.

Hamilton Police investigated and identified the male. Douglas Bagshaw, 70-years-old, from Hamilton was arrested and charged with Mischief. He was released on a Promise to Appear and will be in court on October 15, 2019.

Hamilton Police want to remind the public that 911 is for emergencies. In 2018, Hamilton Police fielded 195,000 calls – nearly one-third of those were not emergency calls.

Amber Alerts are a warning system that quickly alerts the public of a suspected abduction of children who are in imminent danger. Law enforcement agencies must meet strict guidelines before an Amber Alert is issued. Alerts are an instrumental tool in assisting the public and police with locating a child who may be in danger.

Non-emergency calls take up valuable resources and potentially delay responding to those individuals in a genuine emergency. A 911 emergency is when someone needs help right away because of an injury or an immediate danger.