Toronto Police Services announced a new, much shorter non-emergency number that they hope will be easier for residents to remember and help further reduce 911 wait times.

People can now dial *TPS or *877 on their mobile devices to reach first responders for any situations that are not life-threatening or require immediate response, said Supt. Greg Watts.

He hopes the new number will not only be easier to recall, but will stop people from automatically calling 911 in non-emergencies.

"In an emergency, seconds count," he said.

"We've worked really, really hard to modernize how we are intaking information from the public … so you don't always have to wait on hold."

While Toronto police have made strides in recent years to reduce 911 wait times, Watts said any initiative to further reduce

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