Police Help Woman Who Contacted Wrong Force—3K Miles Away

Canadian woman mistakenly reported break-in to Durham police in the UK, rather than Ontario
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 15, 2022 9:50 AM CST
When She Reported Break-In, Help Came From 3K Miles Away
The woman received help from police on both sides of the Atlantic.   (Getty Images/BrianAJackson)

Police in the UK helped ensure a Canadian woman received help after she reported a break-in to the wrong Durham police force. The victim had meant to contact Ontario's Durham Regional Police Force on Wednesday morning. Instead, she reached out to the Durham Constabulary in the UK using a live chat feature on its website. "I need help, he is going to come, he is in the house," wrote the woman, who failed to respond to replies. Upon realizing she was some 3,400 miles away, the UK's Durham police contacted their counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic. Officers with Ontario's Durham Regional Police Force say they found a 35-year-old man inside the woman's Ajax home, reports the CBC.

He escaped but was located nearby and Tasered after refusing to obey commands, according to police. He was taken into custody some 30 minutes after the victim, treated for undisclosed injuries, sent her plea for help. "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," says Inspector Andrea Arthur, head of the Durham Constabulary control room, per the Guardian. Inspector Paul Hallett of the Durham Regional Police adds it's "a success story of international cooperation between two police communication centers separated by tremendous distance." The man is now charged with breaking and entering, assault, forcible confinement, and disobeying a lawful order of court. (More break-in stories.)

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