User Stories: Physical Abuse

While on duty at a hotel, a staff member activated their Peoplesafe alarm as two males were fighting inside the premises, with one of them bleeding heavily. Concerned for the safety of those involved, the user requested immediate police and ambulance assistance.

The Peoplesafe Alarm Controller contacted emergency services, providing the location and details of the ongoing incident, while staying on the line with the user, reassuring them that help was on the way.

During the call, one of the men, who was staying at the hotel, went upstairs to retrieve a weapon and then returned, stabbing the hotel manager in the hand. The controller quickly relayed this new information to the police to ensure officers were aware of the armed suspect.

Throughout the incident, the controller remained in contact with the user, offering reassurance and coordinating updates with emergency services. Within 5 minutes of the stab being reported, police and ambulance crews arrived on scene and took control of the situation. Once the user confirmed their safety and that the scene was secure, the alarm was closed.

While walking to a patient’s home, a healthcare worker was confronted and attacked by two males armed with a knife. The user believed their leg or ankle was broken and had managed to reach safety inside the patient’s property.

Needing urgent help, the user activated their Peoplesafe alarm, which was received instantly by a controller in the Peoplesafe ARC. The controller quickly contacted emergency services, dispatching police and ambulance crews to the scene, and notified the user’s manager of the situation as per their escalation plan.

While waiting for officers to arrive on the scene, the controller stayed on the line with the user, providing reassurance and monitoring the situation until the user confirmed their safety and that they were happy for the alarm to be closed.

While working in the community, a user activated their Peoplesafe alarm requesting immediate police assistance as they had witnessed a young boy being surrounded by a gang who seemed angry and had a knife.

The Alarm Controller immediately contacted the police, providing the user’s exact location using the device’s GPS. Police were dispatched straight away and arrived on the scene within minutes. Throughout this time, the controller stayed on the line, keeping the user updated and providing reassurance.

Once the user confirmed the police were on scene and handling the situation, the user confirmed their wellbeing and requested their manager be informed of the incident before the alarm was closed.

A parking enforcement worker was clamping a vehicle with a SORN notice when the vehicle’s owner confronted them aggressively and made verbal threats. After leaving the scene briefly, the owner returned with a document on his phone claiming the vehicle was not SORN. He then became physically violent, shoving the worker to the ground, before removing the clamp and driving away.

The worker activated their Peoplesafe alarm to report the assault, but while on the line, the owner of the vehicle returned on foot, hitting the worker’s van and shouting verbal abuse. The Alarm Controller advised the worker to remain inside the vehicle and immediately contacted 999 for a police response.

Two police vehicles arrived within minutes of the alarm being raised and took over handling the situation. Once the police confirmed the situation was under control and the worker confirmed they were safe, the alarm was closed.

While visiting a property, a housing employee was threatened by a resident who approached them with a knife. This resident had a history of violent behaviour, including previously chasing a colleague with a knife, which heightened the immediate risk to the employee. Recognising the danger, the employee activated their Peoplesafe alarm.

The Peoplesafe Alarm Controller quickly assessed the situation and contacted the police via URN, requesting an immediate response. The controller also gathered a description of the resident to pass on to the police and monitored the employee as the resident followed them to the third floor.

Attempts to contact the employee’s escalation contacts were made, with the second contact successfully informed of the situation. Throughout the incident, the controller maintained communication with the employee, providing reassurance and updates on the police ETA. In mere minutes, police arrived on scene, secured the area, and ensured the employee’s safety, allowing the controller to close the alarm

An engineer was completing a home call out when the customer began acting violently towards him. The customer first started being verbally abusive towards the engineer, but they then grabbed a broom and started to attack him with it. The engineer tried to calm the customer down, but the situation was escalating, so he decided to activate his SOS alarm.

The Alarm Controller could hear the commotion in the background, so escalated the situation to the police via the URN, getting the fastest response possible. While waiting for the police to arrive on scene, the Controller followed the user’s escalation instructions, contacting the user’s manager to inform him of the situation. The police arrived on site within 5 minutes, and the user confirmed they were safe and the alarm could be closed down.

A hotel concierge was working on the front desk when a drunk and disorderly guest started attacking another customer. The concierge had tried to step in and diffuse the situation, but at this point the guest began acting aggressively towards them, so the concierge decided to discreetly activate an SOS alarm and used their predetermined duress word to let the Alarm Controller know that they needed urgent assistance.

The Controller could see the meaning of the duress word on the user’s profile and wasted no time in contacting the police. While the police were on their way, the Controller called the hotel reception to speak to the user and find out further details without raising suspicion. The Controller remained on the phone with the user until the police arrived on scene and the user confirmed they were pleased for the alarm to be closed.

A delivery driver was working delivering parcels when an angry customer came out of their property and began attacking him. The customer had originally begun shouting abuse at the driver, before going inside to get a garden fork to use as a weapon. The delivery driver had already called the police while the situation was escalating but activated his Peoplesafe device once the customer became physically violent.

The alarm was received by an expert Alarm Controller in the Peoplesafe ARC, who monitored the situation silently for 10 seconds to assess the situation. Once the Controller confirmed it was safe to talk to the user, they began asking questions about the situation and the user confirmed that they had already contacted the police and were now in a safe location. The Controller followed the escalation instructions left on the user’s personal profile and contacted their manager to inform her of the situation. The Controller stayed on the line with the user until the police arrived, providing reassurance and monitoring the situation for any change in circumstance.

A meter reader at a well-known energy company was taking a reading at a customer’s property when they were assaulted and locked in the cupboard by the resident. The user raised an alarm on their device, which was received by an expert Alarm Controller. The user then advised that she was ok but felt unsafe and required police assistance.

The Controller gained further information about the situation and passed on the details to the police, including the GPS location and details about the user from her Nexus profile. The police attended the address and were able to diffuse the situation, getting the user to safety. During the call, the controller contacted the user’s escalation contacts and informed them of the situation, following the procedure defined on the user’s profile.  

A ticket enforcement officer was working patrolling a local car park when three members of the public became aggressive towards him. At first, they were shouting verbal abuse at the ticket officer, but they soon turned violent and began physically attacking him. The ticket enforcement officer could not get away from the attackers so activated an SOS alarm to the Peoplesafe ARC.

The Controller began monitoring the call, at which time the user stated that they were bleeding and needed help. As urgent help was required, the Controller wasted no time in contacting the police via the URN, bypassing the 999 system and saving valuable time. In the background the Controller continued to monitor the severity of the situation and followed the user’s escalation procedure, alerting his manager to the situation. The police arrived within 6 minutes of the SOS button being pressed and took over handling the incident.

An NHS mental health nurse was working in a GP surgery reception when a member of the public entered the surgery and stabbed him. The user needed urgent assistance, so he activated his device. The alarm was instantly received by the Peoplesafe ARC, and the user explained that he had been stabbed and that the perpetrator was still on scene. The Controller confirmed the user’s location and immediately contacted an ambulance; they then used the URN to contact the local police force.

The controller stayed on the line with the user until help arrived, providing reassurance and updating him on the location of the ambulance. In the meantime, another ARC Controller followed the user’s escalation instructions and alerted his line manager of the situation. Within 4 minutes, both the police and ambulance were on scene to provide help and handle the incident.