A code call and the discreet intervention of a PSP agent stationed at Central 112 saved a girl from an alleged situation of abuse by an acquaintance of her mother.
The suspect, who was driving the vehicle in which the minor was following, was identified in the area of Greater Lisbonafter a PSP agent managed to collect essential information from the child, a pre-teen. For his performance, the police officer received praise from the national management of the PSP.
The agent, who joined the PSP about a year ago, was on duty on the emergency line at the Southern Operational Center when he answered a call. After identifying himself as a 911 operator, he received no response, but realized, through the background sounds, that the communication had been made intentionally.
Nearly 14 seconds laterthe child just told him: “Hello uncle“. The officer explained that he was not a relative of hers and informed her that he was speaking to the emergency line. The minor’s response led him to immediately suspect that something was not right.
According to him, the police officer continued the conversation after realizing that it was a call for help. By asking questions in a natural way, as in a common conversation, he managed to discover that the youngest was in the car with her mother, who was sleeping, and her little brother.
Over the course of a call that lasted approximately 14 minutesthe agent managed to identify the destination of the vehicle and mobilized colleagues to the location. The PSP later intercepted the vehicle and identified the driver.
“The girl insisted that she knew and that she wanted to talk to her uncle. From that moment on, a conversation unfolded, with the operator realizing that something was happening and kept the conversation going with the minor”, detailed the operational director of PSP service 112, superintendent Carlos Martins.
In the praise given to the agent, his “insight, cunning, thoughtfulness, high sense of responsibility and duty to protect a potential victim in immediate need of help” stand out, highlighting that his actions prevented a possible evolution of the situation and set an example for other PSP professionals.
The minor’s mother filed a complaint for attempted sexual abuse. The case is now under investigation by the Public Ministry.
