A woman called 999 to order a pizza – but it wasn't a prank call. The woman made the odd request to emergency operators to indicate she feared a man, sitting next to her on a bus, was going to hurt her.
The 999 operator on the other end of the phone realised the woman was talking in code and asked her "yes" and "no" questions to avoid attracting the man's attention, North Yorkshire Police said as reported by Yorkshire Live.
While the call was in progress, the call handler managed to text the woman for further details which enabled officers to track the bus and stop it in York. A 40-year-old Leeds man, arrested in connection with the incident, remains in police custody.
Read more: Silent 999 calls - how to tell police you are in danger if you can't talk or it's too dangerous to
North Yorkshire Police's Insp Dan Spence, Force Incident Manager, said: "This was really good work by everyone involved, allowing us to take immediate action to safeguard a vulnerable woman. I’m aware of people using the ‘pizza ordering’ technique abroad to contact the police, but I cannot recall a similar call in North Yorkshire."
BT operators are responsible for routing calls to emergency services. If operators hear something suspicious on the line they will connect the call to police.
Police forces advise speaking to the call handler when possible, even by whispering. You may be asked to cough or tap keys on your phone to answer the handler's questions so officers can respond appropriately.
The North Yorkshire force says: "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."
