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Police and Telecom are urging people to keep faith in the 111 system after a fault that left three people, including an Auckland home-invasion victim, unable to call for help.
West Auckland businessman Arthur Gundy dialled the emergency number 13 times in 20 minutes on Friday morning after two armed intruders broke into his home, dragged him from his bed and tied him up.
Each time he dialled 111 he could hear someone asking if he wanted police, fire or an ambulance but the line was always disconnected before he was put though.
Mr Gundy tried using different phones to make the calls before eventually contacting his private security firm, which raised the alarm.
Telecom apologised to Mr Gundy yesterday, saying a technical fault at its West Harbour exchange meant call-takers could not hear him and cut off the calls thinking they were hoaxes.
Spokeswoman Sarah Berry said the other two callers who had problems were from Manukau. One wanted police and the other an ambulance. Both ended up calling the services directly.
Ms Berry said calls had been rerouted yesterday morning through another exchange to ensure there would not be a repeat of the problem, which was expected to be fixed last night.
Police public affairs manager Michael Player said it was unfortunate when faults happened, "but we would urge the public not to lose faith in the system. It's still their best port of call in an emergency".
Ms Berry said the public could continue to have confidence in the 111 system.
