Police reveal how calling 999 to 'order pizza' can help save your life

Police have revealed how dialing 999 to order a fake pizza can actually help save your life in a dangerous situation.

North Yorkshire Police took to their Twitter to share a thread about how it all works, and at first it looked like they were about to the roast the person who dialled in the seemingly trivial request.

"We received a 999 call – but when it was answered, the woman on the line said she would like to order a pizza," the post began. "Our call handler immediately asked the woman if she was in trouble, to which she confirmed 'yes'.

"With the woman only able to answer 'yes' and 'no' to questions, we established she was on a bus in North Yorkshire and was at risk of harm from a man who was with her. While keeping the phone line open, the call handler was also able to text her for more information."

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Fortunately, they were able to find the bus via an "online tracker" and brought it to a stop. A man from Leeds who was around 40-years-old was arrested "in connection" with the situation and is still in police custody.

"It's always best 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 in response to questions," another post in the thread read.

People took to the comments to praise the "excellent work" of the phone operator.

One wrote: "Massive shout out to that call handler."

"This is excellent. Well done, those call handlers and the officers who reached the woman before harm was done. You should be very proud," another wrote.

A third added: "This is brilliant! What clarity of thought from the lady who was in danger too!"

Someone else said that this moment brings back credit to the police, puts them in a better light, and wrote: "Hats off to North Yorkshire Police, the call handler. A slap on the back, a hip hip hooray to all involved, this is the kind of stuff which brings credit to the often criticized police system."

This wouldn't be the only instance of someone calling the police with a faux order.

In a 2019 report from CNN, an Ohio woman called 911 using code words to report domestic abuse her mother was experiencing from her boyfriend.

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