911 dispatch apologizes to Victoria business after ignoring calls for help during COVID-19 protest

Greater Victoria’s 911 dispatch service is apologizing to the staff of a downtown Starbucks after calls for help were ignored.

During a large anti-vaccine mandate protest on Saturday, management of a Starbucks across from B.C.’s legislature say unruly protesters entered the business unmasked and refused to leave.

Manager Rich Becker said his staff were being threatened and he believed they were in danger.

“They were directly in harm’s way,” said Becker.

Unwilling to physically remove the protesters himself, Becker called police twice. He says his calls for help were ignored and he was told to call the non-emergency line.

E-Comm, which manages 911 dispatch in Greater Victoria, admits that was a mistake.

After CTV News pressed Victoria police for answers about the 911 calls, E-Comm conducted an investigation of the incident.

“After reviewing both 911 calls, we can confirm that based on the situation the caller was describing, a police file should have been created,” said E-Comm spokesperson Jasmine Bradley.

“Unfortunately, this was not the case and the caller was incorrectly referred to the non-emergency line," Bradley added.