Police made an embarrassing mistake when they smashed the window of a mother’s car to rescue a trapped baby – only to find it was a “lifelike” doll.
Amy McQuillen parked her Nissan Qashquai in an Asda underground car park on Tuesday while daughter Darci, 10, strapped her highly realistic “reborn” baby doll named Elliot onto the booster seat.
Cleveland Police were then called by a concerned passerby who had left a baby locked in the vehicle, Teesside Live reported.
After going to the car’s location in Thornaby, officers broke the passenger window to rescue the child – only to discover the 60-pound doll inside.
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In a statement released Friday, Cleveland police said the call was received with the best of intentions and the officers involved were quick to act to protect a child.
The statement said: “You may have seen national news reports today that our officers answered a call from a member of the public and feared that a baby was left in a car in the underground garage of a supermarket.
“The police responded to this call and when the whistleblower led to the car, the window of the car was broken because the owner was absent.
The police were embarrassed to discover that the baby was actually a doll.
(Image: Terry Blackburn)
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“The owner returned when this happened and it was found that the whistleblower had mistaken a lifelike doll that was attached to a child seat in the vehicle for a baby.
“In this picture you can see what the caller saw and the call was made with the best of intentions.”
“The owner was not arrested, will be compensated for the damaged window and we appreciated that he understands the unusual circumstances,” the statement said.
Police broke the window after a phone call announced that a baby had been left in the car.
(Image: Terry Blackburn)
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“We’d always rather find that no crime has occurred than miss an opportunity to protect a child.
“Unfortunately too often people are too cautious to report a concern about a child and we would like to take the opportunity to say if you think a child is at risk please give us a call.”
“We are never embarrassed or uncomfortable to have reacted quickly to a call that a child is potentially at risk.
“It’s always the best outcome when it doesn’t and the officers who were present that day resolved the matter – reflected on the fact that you can never predict what you will be visiting each shift – and left quickly on to the next 999 call and did their best to serve the public while on duty. “
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