British police helped save a woman in danger more than 3,000 miles away after she contacted the wrong force.

Durham Constabulary was sent a message on Wednesday afternoon via its online live chat facility from a woman who said an intruder had been trying to get into her home in Durham, Canada.

The distraught victim had typed “I need help, he is going to come, he is in the house”, before falling silent.

Realising she had meant to contact a different force, the call handler kept the chat open while control room colleagues contacted officers at Durham Regional Police Service in the province of Ontario.

Canadian officers were sent to the scene in the town of Ajax, where they found a 35-year-old man inside the house.

‘Very distressing for victim’

He fled and, following an altercation, was tasered and taken into police custody where he now faces charges for a string of offences.

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He was arrested 30 minutes after the victim had first contacted the police on the other side of the Atlantic.

The woman received medical attention for her injuries.

Inspector Andrea Arthur, head of the force control room, said: “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.

“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.

“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.”

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