The Vaud cantonal police are appealing to the public not to use the emergency phone number for anything that isn’t a genuine emergency.
In a statement the police say they’ve had calls to 117 simply enquiring about traffic, asking for the on-duty pharmacy or even just a weather forecast.
A spokesman for the force says that too many non-urgent calls is hindering the work of the operators and tying up the line for those in urgent need.
Technology is also a problem. Many calls are being sent by automated systems. Some smart watches can call if they sense a shock.
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