Woman 'in trouble' rescued after calling 999 to 'order a pizza'

10.04.2022 - 21:39 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

A vulnerable woman who called 999 and asked to order a pizza was rescued by police after a quick-thinking call handler established she was in danger from a man who was with her.

Police in North Yorkshire received the emergency call on April 5 - but when the phone operator answered, the woman on the line said she would like to order a pizza. Guessing that something might be wrong, the call handler asked the woman if she was in trouble, to which she answered 'yes.'

The distressed caller wasn't able to give answers other than 'yes' or 'no' to questions. Even so, the operator managed to ascertain that the woman was on a bus with a man she feared might harm her. Whilst keeping her on the phone, the call handler was able to text the woman vital information.

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Thanks to their efforts, police officers managed to locate the bus using an online tracker, and managed to stop the vehicle in the York area. A 40-year-old man from Leeds was arrested in connection with the incident. He was subsequently released with no further action, but the woman has been provided with safeguarding and support.

North Yorkshire Police were congratulated for their "superb empathy and professionalism" after posting a thread about the incident on Twitter. The force wrote: "When a call 'to order pizza' becomes an urgent plea for help. We received a 999 call - but when it 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.'"

"With the woman only able to answer 'yes' and 'no' to questions, we established she was on a bus in North Yorkshire, and was at risk of harm