Manning the police switchboard on Thanksgiving must be a thankless task, but a boy in the Florida panhandle made this year’s holiday shift more pleasant for the officers on duty, when he called 911 – to invite them to dinner.

The Walton County boy, named only as Billy, was apparently unaware that the 911 line ought to be used only for emergencies. He reportedly dialled the number on Thursday afternoon and asked the dispatcher whether sheriff’s deputies would care to join his family for some turkey.

On his Facebook page, Sheriff Michael Adkinson said the invitation had “melted all the hearts in Walton County Sheriff's Office Communication Centre.” Two deputies visited Billy at home, gave him a sheriff’s badge and allowed him to sit in their patrol car.