Journal staff
Beginning Monday, July 10, members of the public may receive automated text messages from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) regarding certain events that have taken place.
“The OPP has carefully curated a limited list of event types that are eligible for messages to be sent… the majority of which are events reported after the fact and events where no suspects are present,” the OPP said about the new ‘engagement tool.’
When someone contacts the OPP through an SMS-enabled device, and their call is categorized as one of these eligible event types, the following sequence will occur:
- The caller will receive a text message with their event number - e.g., E0123456789. Some messages might also include additional information related to a specific call type. For example, messages sent in response to calls relating to some motor vehicle collisions might include information on Collision Reporting Centres.
- After the call is cleared by the responding officer, if/as required, the initial caller will receive an invitation to a brief voluntary survey to provide feedback on their experience with the OPP.
The information collected through the automated surveys will be used to assist the OPP in identifying opportunities to better serve the public and protect the citizens of Ontario.
Messages will be available in both English and French, and recipients can easily opt out of receiving any additional texts from the system.
For more information on the new technology tool, please visit opp.ca.
If a member of the public is concerned that they have received a fraudulent message, they should please contact the OPP's non-emergency line (1-888-310-1122).