Ajax woman saved from intruder through live chat thanks to England’s Durham police

A remarkable story out of Durham Region today after an Ontario woman was saved from an intruder thanks to the help not of her local police force but Durham Constabulary in England.

The incident happened sometime on February 9, when Durham’s Constabulary, located in County Durham in North East England, says a woman in distress contacted its officers through their live online chat to report that a man was trying to gain access to her home.

According to police in England, the woman said, “I need help, he is going to come, he is in the house,” before falling silent and not responding afterwards.

“Upon realizing she meant to contact a different Durham police force, the call handler kept the chat open and alerted Durham Regional Police [in Ontario], who sent officers to the scene in Ajax, Ontario,” Durham Constabulary said.

???? Our quick-thinking control room team helped save a woman 3,000 miles away after an intruder got into her home.

We were contacted on Wednesday on our online Live Chat facility by a distressed woman who reported an intruder trying to get into her home in Durham, Canada. pic.twitter.com/AqbLX1Vazd

— Durham Constabulary (@DurhamPolice) February 11, 2022

Durham Regional Police arrested a 35-year-old man and charged him with multiple offences, including breaking and entering, assault, forcible confinement and disobeying a lawful order of the court.

Durham’s Constabulary tells CityNews that the suspect fled the scene on foot, and after evading police, was eventually tasered.

The woman received medical treatment, police confirmed, without indicating how serious her injuries were.

“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,” Insp. Andrea Arthur said at the time of the arrest.

“… 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.”

Durham Regional Police Insp. Paul Hallett called the police response and eventual rescue a “success story of international cooperation.”

“We are grateful for the assistance of our Durham Police colleagues in ensuring we received this critical info.”