South Yorkshire Police donate food and toys to family in need after boy, 6, calls 999

On Sunday (3 May) police visited a property in Barnsley after a six year-old boy accidentally called 999 as he played on his mum’s phone.

While officers were there they realised the mother was a single parent who had fallen on hard times after losing her job. A welfare check found there was no food in the house.

The two officers present – PC Mitchell and PC Massey from Churchfields Station in Barnsley – made referrals to local foodbanks, support agencies and social care to ensure the mother and her son will be supported moving forward.

Not wanting to stop there, they decided to donate some of their personal items to help the young family until the support was in place.

Sarah Gilmour from South Yorkshire Police said: “After 12 hours, officers had collected a huge amount of food and toys for the family.

“Parents within the team also brought in drawings that their children had made at home in a bid to bring joy and hope to the mother and son.”

Due to the amount of food and toys collected, officers decided to donate some of the items to other vulnerable and struggling families in the community.

Chief inspector Andy Berriman, who leads response teams in Barnsley, said “Incidents like these remind us of why people become police officers.

“We are caring people who want to help and protect our communities and sometimes that is not achieved by arresting criminals. We all need to pull together and support each other to make sure we get through these difficult times.”Mr Berriman added: “The mother was extremely grateful for the donations and the little boy was excited to be able to play and create some of his own drawings with the crafts given.“I am proud of my officers everyday but their passion and dedication does not go unnoticed.”