A dispatch operator for South Yorkshire Police, was recently thanked for her reassuring and calming response to a call regarding a car crash last month.
The caller, who has come forward to praise Abi Wilson, was involved in a collision on the A628 during her journey back to South Yorkshire from Manchester.
The caller said: “When the crash happened, it sounded like I had been shot, and at first, I thought my car was on fire. I just kept shouting at the start of the call, and apologising, but Abi was focused on making sure I was okay.’’
Upon attending the scene of the collision, emergency services took 5 people to the hospital, including the caller. Fortunately, none of the injuries were life altering or life threatening.
Communications manager Gary Slater said: “Due to the remote location of this collision, it was difficult to determine exactly where the caller was. Abi remained focused and professional and was able to quickly get all the details she required to get officers and multiple ambulances travelling towards the scene.’’
The caller gifted Abbie flowers. In a statement given by South Yorkshire Police, she said: “You try not to take it home with you but sometimes you do find yourself thinking about a job and wondering what happened after you put the phone down. So it was really nice to speak to the caller, see that she was alright, and to get that closure.”
South Yorkshire emergency lines receive roughly 20,000 emergency calls per 100,000 people, making it one of the busiest emergency operators in the UK.
Despite this 91% of victims of crime were satisfied with their initial contact with South Yorkshire Police. This “initial contact” typically refers to first interaction with call handlers via 999, 101, or contact centre staff.