Cambridgeshire woman uses 999 silent solution to get help

Following a silent 999 call during which the number 55 was pressed on the keypad officers visited the house in Wisbech at 7.40pm on Tuesday and were met by a woman who was clearly scared, and therefore evasive, and who avoided all offers of help.

However, she confirmed that a man had been at her house, in breach of his Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO), and officers noticed bruises on her neck and some of her hair missing

They searched the house and the wider area. One man was arrested in connection with the silent 999 call and remains in custody.

Did you know about pressing 55 after calling 999 - known as the silent solution?

It is a clear but clever and discreet way to tell the police you need help, but are in a situation where you can’t talk

Pressing 55 lets the 999 operator know your call is genuine, and they will try to track your location.

A police spokesperson said: "Try to speak to the operator if you can, even by whispering. If you can't speak, listen carefully to the questions and instructions from our demand hub call agents so they can assess your call and arrange help.

"You may also be asked to cough or tap the keys on your phone to answer questions. For more advice, info and support about domestic abuse, see the force's dedicated web pages here.

Last week alone, we were called to 91 'immediate' grade calls to domestic abuse incidents across the county.

That's 13 calls every single day where officers were immediately dispatched to help victims of domestic abuse.

Many of these calls were from concerned neighbours, family members or friends raising the alarm for people who don't feel as though they can.

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone. It's any form of controlling, bullying, threatening or violent behaviour, and there only needs to be one incident for it to be domestic abuse.

If you, or someone you know, is a victim of domestic abuse, we are here for you. You're not to blame for what's happening, and you're not alone.