Woman in danger rescued after calling 999 to “order a pizza”

The woman alerted police by starting the conversation as if she was ordering a pizza.

A woman in North Yorkshire who needed to contact the police as she was in danger with a man on the bus pretended she was ordering a pizza when she rang 999. The call handler quickly realised she was in danger when she started the call by asking to order a pizza. The emergency service worker then immediately asked if she was in danger and the woman replied "Yes." The call was made to police in North Yorkshire on April 5th, instead of fobbing it off as a prank call the call handler acted on instinct when asking was something wrong. Unable to answer in anything but yes or no, the caller managed to get her location and somewhat explain the situation to the call handler. She was on a bus with a man she felt was going to put her in danger or harm her. As the call handler kept her on the phone, they managed to send her text messages about how to get to safety. The police were able to track the bus via an online tracker and subsequently stopped the vehicle. Following this a 40 year old man was arrested at the scene. He was released later with no further action but the woman who made the call is currently being provided with safeguarding and support from the police force. The call handler was commended on Twitter for their quick thinking and compassion when North Yorkshire Police tweeted about the situation.

When a call 'to order pizza' becomes an urgent plea for help...?

We received a 999 call – but when it was answered, the woman on the line said she would like to order a pizza. Our call handler immediately asked the woman if she was in trouble, to which she confirmed “yes”. — North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) April 6, 2022

The police also posted some important advice about what will happen when you ring emergency services in the UK looking for help. "All 999 calls are directed to call centres and answered by BT operators. They'll ask which service you need. If no service is requested but anything suspicious is heard throughout the process, the operator will connect you to a police handler," they tweeted. They explained the importance of trying to speak to an operator when possible in dangerous situations , "It's always best to speak to an operator if you can, even by whispering." In cases where it is unsafe for people to speak, operators are also trained to use different methods of communication. "You may also be asked to cough or tap keys on your phone in response to questions. The police call handler will attempt to communicate with you by asking simple yes or no questions. "If you are not able to speak, listen carefully to the questions and instructions from the call handler so we can assess your call and arrange help if needed."