Police control room helps woman 3,000 miles away after she contacted wrong force
Durham Constabulary was contacted by a woman in danger at her home in Durham, Canada, on Wednesday.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Control room staff helped save a woman in danger more than 3,000 miles away after she contacted the wrong Durham police force.
Durham Constabulary was contacted on Wednesday afternoon on its online live chat facility by a distressed woman who reported an intruder trying to get into her home in Durham, Canada
The distraught victim had typed: “I need help, he is going to come, he is in the house”, before falling silent.
Realising she meant to contact a different Durham police force, the call handler kept the chat open while control room colleagues contacted officers at Durham Regional Police Service in the province of Ontario.
Canadian officers were sent to the scene in the town of Ajax and found a 35-year-old man inside the house.
The suspect fled but was eventually cornered nearby, where he refused to obey officers’ requests and during the altercation was tasered.
He was then arrested, around 30 minutes after his victim first contacted police on the other side of the Atlantic.
The victim received medical attention for her injuries.
The man has now been charged with a string of offences including breaking and entering, assault, forcible confinement and disobeying a lawful order of court.
Inspector Andrea Arthur, head of the force control room, said: “This was an unusual incident and a very distressing situation for the victim, but the team remained calm and managed to help our Canadian colleagues resolve the situation quickly and professionally.
“If we can assist in rescuing a vulnerable victim in immediate danger, regardless of where they live, we will do all we can to help.
“In this case, we’re glad to learn there has been an arrest and, more importantly, the victim is out of danger and receiving the help she needs.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.