UK Police Praise Cop Dispatcher For Recognising Emergency Call Disguised As Pizza Order

London: A routine pizza delivery request in the United Kingdom (UK) turned into a life-saving emergency call after a quick-thinking police dispatcher recognised a woman’s disguised plea for help. The incident occurred at the Metropolitan Police’s emergency helpline, which showcased the importance of alertness and presence of mind in a crisis situation. The incident has not only surprised everyone but also has garnered praise for London's Metropolitan Police. 

According to reports, the call began with a woman requesting a pizza delivery, which immediately raised concerns for the call handler, who initially questioned the request. However, sensing that something was amiss, the call handler quickly responded by asking if the caller needed the police instead. When the caller confirmed with a "yes," the handler understood that she was in distress and devised a clever method to gather crucial details without alerting the perpetrator.

In the audio clip shared by the Metropolitan Police on X, the conversation took place as follows:

999 caller: "Pizza Delivery"

Call handler: "Pizza Delivery? Ok, do you require pizza delivery or do you require the police? If it's the police, say yes."

999 caller: "Yes"

Sensing the gravity of the situation, the call handler continued with discreet, simple questions to confirm the woman's safety and gather information.

Call handler: "Ok, is the person that's scaring you at the property now?"

999 caller: "Yes"

Call handler: "No problem, police are coming, ok? Have they got any weapons, answer yes or no?"

999 caller: "No"

Further, in a final attempt to clarify the threat, the handler used a pre-arranged code to ask the woman to respond with specific keywords to indicate the severity of the situation:

Call handler: "If he threatened to hurt you, tell me 'pepperoni.' If he threatened to hurt the children, tell me 'cheese.'"

999 caller: "Pepperoni"

Following the subtle answers from the caller, the police dispatcher quickly dispatched cops to the location, ensuring help arrived on time. The woman, who has not been named, is now safe, due to the timely intervention of the police, which happened by an unexpected pizza request.

The Metropolitan Police later commended the call handler's quick thinking, praising her for managing to identify the disguised emergency without raising suspicion from the person threatening the woman. The police posted the audio clip and details of the exchange on X, highlighting the handler’s "heroic" response.

In a statement, the police wrote: “Do you require a pizza delivery or the police? A heroic police emergency call handler has been commended for her quick-thinking after realising a call from a woman was, in fact, a disguise and an urgent call for help.”