Police operator’s quick thinking saves domestic abuse victim asking for ‘pizza’

A police call handler’s quick thinking led to officers being sent to a woman’s home – despite her being too terrified to ask for help out loud.

In a clip of the call, 999 operator Pippa Harvey can be heard calmly leading the woman through several yes or no questions to gauge what kind of danger she was in.

After being asked what the emergency was, the woman said ‘pizza delivery’, prompting Ms Harvey to quickly give her a safe way to clarify by checking: ‘Do you require pizza delivery or do you require the police? If it’s the police say yes.’

She then maintained the charade to check whether the woman or her children, at least one of whom can be heard crying in the background, and send officers to her address.

‘If he threatened to hurt you, tell me pepperoni. If he threatened to hurt the children, tell me cheese,’ Ms Harvey said.

Speaking barely above a whisper, the woman replied: ‘Pepperoni.’

Ms Harvey then reassured her help was on the way before ending the call in case it looked ‘suspicious if you are calling for a pizza’.

The rookie officer has since been commended for her quick thinking.

Sharing the clip, the Metropolitan Police advised people in danger about how to make a silent emergency call.

The Met said: ‘If you’re in danger, call 999 and try to speak to the operator if you can, even by whispering.

‘You may also be asked to cough or tap the keys on your phone to answer questions.’

Anyone unable to speak out loud should then press 55, which allows the operator to track the call and send help even when you are unable to audibly summon it.

A survey by Women’s Aid late last year revealed 53% of women and 49% of all Brits are unaware of the 999-55 emergency line.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Dad-of-two’s ‘missed flight home’ was booked after he was murdered

MORE: Pride flags outside Tube stationpermanently removed because of vandalism

MORE: CCTV shows thieves stealing 13 portable loos during raid on depot