A Met Police contact centre handler has been praised for using Instagram to safeguard a victim of domestic abuse who made a report while she was abroad.
Emma Tavill assigned herself to a case after she was contacted by a woman who had been assaulted by her partner while on holiday in Cyprus.
The victim made the report on Monday, 19 February 2024 by sending photo and video evidence of her injuries to the Met’s Instagram page by direct message.
Emma used the information she had to gather information about the suspect, including his return flight details.
Once the suspect landed in the UK the following day, he was swiftly arrested at Gatwick Airport and taken into custody.
Acting Chief Superintendent Neil Holyoak from the Metropolitan Police’s Contact Centre said:
“Emma’s response is a great example of the type of work being done across the Met to keep people safe. Her actions meant we could go above and beyond to safeguard a vulnerable victim even when she wasn’t in the UK.
“We know it’s not always possible for victims to call us and that’s why we receive crime reports and information through a range of digital channels, such as Instagram, as well as on our website.”
The Met receives thousands of contacts every day and staff are responding more quickly to emergencies and Londoners get our help when they need it most.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services also recently recognised the Met’s improvements to call handling.
Last year dedicated staff and officers in MetCC responded to 4,660,891 contacts, of which 2,394,416 were 999 calls, 1,279,552 were 101 calls and 988,923 were digital contacts.
The per cent of 999 calls answered within 10 seconds for 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024 was 86.2 per cent compared to 77.6 per cent the previous calendar year with January 2024 reaching 90.9 per cent.
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