Joshua and Mrs Taylor hurry to the principal’s office where Mr Price contacts the emergency 000 number. He is just as alarmed as Mrs Taylor had been, on learning of the stranger who’d approached Joshua. After he’d dialled emergency services, an operator put Mr Price in touch with the police station closest to the school.
The emergency service network is co-ordinated so that two operators work on each call. With the first operator able to focus on the caller, the second person is forwarding the information to the appropriate receiver; ambulance, police or fire service. By working this way, no time is lost in getting the appropriate people who are closest to the caller notified of the emergency. In a medical emergency they can have ambulance service personnel up and running to the caller’s destination within minutes. In the meanwhile, the first operator is assessing the situation of the caller; giving advice and support until they arrive.
http://www.australia.gov.au is full of good information about the 000 hotline, as well all the other disaster services that are accessed via the emergency service 000 number .
The police officer who is answering Mr Prices 000 call, introduces himself. He advises Mr Price that no accidents have been reported anywhere that day, relieving Joshua’s fears for his mum. He also advises that no policeman had been sent to the school. This information confirmed everyone’s suspicion that the man who had approached Joshua was not a legitimate police officer. The police officer realised the danger of the situation and was taking it very seriously.
Joshua is put on the spot by the policeman asking Mr Price, ” What did the man look like – what colour was his skin, his eyes, his hair? What kind of build did he have – was he tall, short, fat, thin? As you can see, Joshua is trying hard to remember his very fleeting glimpse of the man. He recalled Tav’s advice to remember what the man looked like as he turned at the gate and watched the man leaving. Because of this prompting, he did manage to record in his subconscious mind a few things about the man. He remembered the number plate, as Tav had told him the number and insisted he remember it. He has no trouble describing the vehicle the man got into, as he and his brother often played a game spotting car badges and their makes, during long journeys to visit their grandmother. It was their way of breaking the monotony of the long drive which made the trip more interesting.
When the police officer had as much information as possible, he assured Mr Price that action would be taken to search for the vehicle and the impostor. It was their highest priority to ensure the safety of other children in the area.
