An app-based reporting system could be explored as part of wider efforts to boost the island’s emergency communications network, the Bermuda Police Service have said.

The BPS touched on the alternative method after all of their phone lines — including 911 — were rendered inoperable for more than nine hours one day last week.

Five landline numbers and five mobile phone numbers were issued to the public at about 8am on August 21 to be used in the event that police assistance was required until the outage was fixed.

An eleventh phone number was provided to call for an ambulance or the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service.

By 5.30pm on the same day, 911 and the non-emergency reporting number, 211, were operational, but the main BPS number remained down.

A BPS spokesman said this week: “The root cause of the 911 service disruption was a hardware failure.

“Upon replacement of the affected component, service was fully restored.”

He said that the 911 and 211 lines were “fully restored and are functioning normally”.

“Other direct police numbers are also back in service,” the spokesman added.

The Royal Gazette asked the BPS if they could offer any guidance on what residents can do if a similar breakdown occurs in the future.

“While outages of this nature are rare, contingency planning is always a priority,” the spokesman said.

“In the event of another 911 disruption, in keeping with established protocol, the BPS will immediately activate alternative contact numbers and ensure these are promptly communicated to the public through official channels, as well as broadcast, print and social media.”

Asked about whether consideration was being given to the development of an app as an alternative, he replied: “The use of an app-based emergency reporting portal, operating independently of the phone network, is an option that can be explored as part of wider efforts to strengthen Bermuda’s emergency communications framework.”

The spokesman added: “Residents are encouraged to follow official BPS and government announcements during any future outage.

“Alternative numbers allocated for emergency purposes will be provided at that time of need, as availability may change depending on the nature of the disruption.

“These numbers should only be used if 911 is confirmed to be unavailable, to ensure emergency calls are directed appropriately.”

He said: “The BPS remain committed to ensuring that residents have reliable access to emergency services and will continue to work with the Government and telecommunications partners to strengthen resilience against future disruptions.”