Strategies to prevent and reduce the misuse of the single emergency number
Strategies, Tools, and Actions to Prevent and Reduce the Misuse of the Single Emergency Number
The Document of Experiences N°3 was prepared in response to recommendation number three of the document of recommendations that resulted from the First Meeting of the Subsidiary Technical Group on Emergency and Security Systems (GTS-SES).
The drafting of the Document was possible thanks to the contributions provided by 10 institutions:
The document presents a regional overview of how to address the misuse of the single emergency line from six dimensions:
1.????? Protocols & Procedures
2.????? Call Management
3.????? Data and Statistics
4.????? Quality Control
5.????? Sanctions
6.????? Prevention Policy Cycle: impact, strategies/interventions, lessons learned and challenges
Among the lessons learned from the implementation of communication strategies and interventions, the following stand out:
·??????? Involve the media, particularly through the use of data and statistics
·??????? Use of real cases of inappropriate calls
·??????? The use of humor seems to be well received by the public
·??????? Tailor communication actions at target groups or audiences
Among the main challenges in designing and implementing effective and sustainable actions, the following stand out:
·??????? Absence or non-application of sanctions
·??????? Lack of public interest
·??????? Budget constraints
In a second part of the Document, these same six dimensions are analyzed from the perspective of the 10 participating institutions.
The document also offers six possible courses of action:
1.????? Common and standardized classification
2.????? Common formula to estimate costs
3.????? General guidelines to prepare reports on misuse or inappropriate calls
4.????? General guidelines for quality control of misuse or inappropriate calls
5.????? Necessary mechanisms to collect financial sanctions
6.????? Strengthen capacities for the design of targeted strategies or interventions
The Document is available in this link: https://portal.educoas.org/sites/default/files/nw/wg/docs/Doc-Exp_N3_ENG.pdf