Hamilton police are once again reminding the public not to call 911 unless it’s a genuine emergency after someone called to complain about missing their flight.

“They said, ‘We’re at the airport and we came five minutes late because of traffic.’ They indicated where they were heading to and they indicated the airline wasn’t going to let them check in,” police spokesperson Jackie Penman told Global News after posting about the incident on Twitter Friday afternoon.

“The 911 operator reminded them that this was not a police call, that police would not be able to bring the plane back, and that the individuals needed to speak with the airline staff to rectify their issue.”

Penman said the incident happened earlier this month, but added this is, unfortunately, a common type of call for the police service.

“Whether it’s for shivering raccoons or for a call like this for somebody who missed a plane, we get a call a day from people calling 911 for inappropriate reasons,” she said.

“911 is for emergencies only, a crime in progress — something that’s happening immediately … any 911 call ties up our operators and delays them from potentially answering a legitimate 911 call from someone who is in a dire emergency.”

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