Would your child know what to do in an emergency?

It was just a normal sunny afternoon in July when PC Emma Robinson, answered a 999 call that just ‘seemed a bit off'. Emma, who is currently on secondment in our Contact Centre after first joining Surrey Police 15 years ago, picked up an aborted call.

When ringing the number back, the phone was answered by a rather cheeky three-year-old boy called Oscar. During this first call to us, Oscar was very talkative and kept asking for his ‘Gaga’. Although most people might just dismiss the call as a mere accident, luckily Emma’s intuition and police training told her something was not quite right.

Emma explained: "Oscar was very talkative, cheeky and seemed in good spirits, but I just had a feeling that something was off. He hung up the phone a few times, so I decided to call back and ask him more questions to see if we could work out what was going on.

“After a while Oscar managed to tell me that his mother was 'sleeping' and that she wouldn't wake up. He also disclosed that she was 'blowing bubbles' and I then knew that we needed to get an ambulance there as quickly as possible.

"Being only three years old, Oscar was not able to tell me his address, but between us we managed to work out where they were and where we needed to send emergency services. The ambulance service also managed to call Oscar and speak to him regarding his mother.

“Fortunately, the ambulance crew and our officers arrived very quickly on the scene and his mother made a full recovery!"

To recognise Oscar’s fast thinking and care, him and his family were invited to our Guildford Headquarters to have a ride in a police vehicle and meet Emma, the emergency operator who took his call.

He was also presented with his very own bravery certificate and police teddy bear by our Chief Constable Tim De Meyer and Head of Contact Chief Superintendent Juliet Parker.

Oscar’s mum, Iona, added: “Oscar loves everything to do with the police and cars so to come in and have a look around was a great experience for him. He is very excited to take his certificate and teddy into his nursery’s ‘show and tell’ this week.

“I am very lucky that Oscar knew to ring 999 and get me help and I think it just shows how important it is that we tell our children to do this when something feels wrong or dangerous. Without that, who knows what would have happened!”

Working in our contact centre as an emergency 999 operator is an intensely rewarding role that makes a real difference to the lives of those in need. We are always looking for people to join our team, so why not learn more about the role by clicking here.