“12 Hours on Hold—Then the Line Went Dead: One Woman’s Struggle with Toronto Police Response”


A Cry for Help, Lost in a Dial Tone

In a city that prides itself on safety and service, one woman’s desperate attempt to reach help became a shocking tale of neglect. For Amanda Roy, a 36-year-old resident of downtown Toronto, what should have been a simple non-emergency call turned into a 12-hour ordeal—only to end in disappointment when the line disconnected just as she reached the top of the queue.

“I felt helpless,” Amanda says. “Like no one was on the other end. Like my concerns didn’t matter.”




Why She Called: A Threat That Wasn’t an Emergency, But Wasn’t Minor Either

Amanda wasn’t calling 911. She understood that her situation didn’t qualify as an immediate emergency. A man who had been stalking her casually for weeks had now left threatening notes near her apartment building’s entrance. She needed to file a report, get advice, maybe ask for patrol checks. Like many citizens, she turned to the Toronto Police Service’s non-emergency line: 416-808-2222—expecting a delay, but not silence.




12 Hours on Hold: A System Crumbling Under Weight

Amanda placed the call at 10:20 AM on a Tuesday morning. She put her phone on speaker, kept working, and checked the screen periodically. An automated message repeated every few minutes: “We appreciate your patience. Your call will be answered in the order it was received.”

Hours passed. She ate lunch, folded laundry, took short breaks—always keeping the phone close. By the time the sun went down, her phone had been on hold for over 11 hours. At 10:37 PM, after what she thought was the final stretch, the line cut off without warning.

“Just silence. Then—click,” she says. “It felt like a slap.”





Toronto Police Acknowledge Delays, Blame Staffing Shortages

Toronto Police Service (TPS) has been open about delays in their communication system, especially since 2022. In a statement, a TPS spokesperson acknowledged long wait times, citing staffing shortages, increasing call volumes, and a lack of investment in non-emergency infrastructure.

“We understand this is frustrating for residents. We are actively working to improve call response times,” the spokesperson said. But for citizens like Amanda, those promises feel too late.




The Larger Problem: When Non-Emergencies Become Unsafe

Experts argue that the distinction between emergency and non-emergency calls, while necessary for triage, leaves too many in a gray area. Victims of harassment, property damage, or even mental health episodes often hesitate to dial 911—worried they’ll be wasting urgent resources. But the alternative isn’t working either.

“Amanda’s case shows how our current system is broken,” says Dr. Leena Patel, a criminologist at the University of Toronto. “When citizens can’t trust that someone will pick up the phone—even after half a day—we have to ask if the infrastructure is functioning at all.”





Technology Gaps and Public Distrust

Interestingly, while many private companies now offer real-time callback features, multi-language support, and online ticketing systems, Toronto Police’s non-emergency line has none of those innovations. There’s no way to check your place in line, no way to request a callback, and no digital alternative for many types of reports.

Amanda suggests a simple solution: “Even a text message saying, ‘You’re still in line,’ would have helped. I just wanted to be heard.”




Aftermath: Emotional Toll and No Resolution

As of now, Amanda has still not filed her report. The next day, she tried using Toronto Police’s online reporting tool, but was told her situation was too complex to be handled digitally. When she attempted to call again, she faced the same endless queue.

“I gave up,” she says. “I just hope it doesn’t escalate.”




Conclusion: A System in Need of Urgent Repair

Amanda’s story isn’t just about a dropped call. It’s a reminder that public safety depends not only on police officers in the field—but also on the systems designed to connect us to them. A 12-hour hold time followed by a disconnection isn’t just inefficient. It’s a failure of trust, a crack in the foundation of a system meant to serve.

Until meaningful changes are made—whether that’s hiring more dispatchers, adding digital alternatives, or better triaging—residents like Amanda will continue to fall through the cracks.

And the next time, it may not be just a report that gets missed.