Durham Police help save woman in Canada after she contacts wrong police force

11 February 2022, 20:09 | Updated: 11 February 2022, 20:15

Police in Durham helped save a woman in danger after she accidentally called them for help – when instead she was in the Canadian region of Durham, 3,000 miles away.

The distressed woman used the British force’s live chat function to type to officers: “I need help, he is going to come, he is in the house”.

She then fell silent and Durham Constabulary raced to find how to help her – realising she instead wanted their counterparts in Ontario, the Durham Regional Police service.

Canadian police raced to a house the town of Ajax where they found a 35-year-old man inside.

He fled but was cornered in a yard nearby and was tasered after refusing to cooperate with officers’ requests, then arrested.

The quick-thinking officers in Britain allowed the Canadians to detain him just 30 minutes after the woman first got in touch with the wrong force.

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Durham Constabulary’s control room head, Inspector Andrea Arthur, 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.

“Our call handlers deal with hundreds of contacts from members of the public each day, some of them more straightforward than others, and always do their best to serve the public, wherever they may be.”

The woman received medical help with her injuries, police said.

The man has been charged with breaking and entering, assault, forcible confinement and disobeying a lawful order of court.