Admin l Thursday, March 23, 2017
CROYDON, London – Police have released a clip of a 999 call from a four-year-old boy who saved his mum’s life to remind parents the importance of teaching young children their address and how to use 999 in an emergency.
The young boy called 999 from his mum’s mobile phone on Tuesday, 7 March and was put through to a police call handler.
After the call handler asked him where his mummy was, the boy responded that he thought she was dead because “she’s closing her eyes and she’s not breathing”.
Remaining calm, the call handler managed to keep the boy talking and found out where he lived in Kenley, Croydon and local officers and an ambulance were immediately sent to the address. Because the boy was able to give the call handler the correct address, it saved police vital minutes in being able to send officers to the address straight away.
Thirteen minutes after receiving the call, officers arrived and managed to force entry inside the house where they found the boy with his twin brother and younger brother all inside with their mum, who was lying unconscious on the floor. Paramedics were able to give life-saving first aid to the woman and she was taken to hospital after regaining consciousness at the home.
It later emerged that the boy used his mum’s smartphone to get in touch with police. He firstly managed to unlock it by pressing her thumb on the phone and then used the ‘Siri’ function to ask for help and it dialled 999 to put him through to emergency services.
Chief Superintendent Ade Adelekan, from the Met’s Command and Control Unit (MetCC), where 999 calls are handled, said: “Hearing this call brings home the importance of teaching your young child their home address and how to call police or emergency services in an emergency situation.
“If you do nothing else today, then I’d implore any parents of young children to sit down with them and make sure they know what to do in this kind of situation and that they know how to contact police or other emergency services in an emergency. As this case demonstrates so poignantly, it could really be the difference between life and death.
“It’s an amazing story and thanks to his quick thinking and by asking ‘Siri’ for help, this little boy saved his mum’s life and it means she is still here and can be extremely proud of him and his brothers.”
