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AIBU?

DS escorted home by the police - WTF?

245 replies

ReanimatedSGB · 19/04/2018 17:24

He's 13 and a half. He hadn't done anything wrong (as they were at pains to assure me) but someone 'reported that he seemed to be lost and potentially vulnerable', so they had asked him where he lived, brought him home, asked for my name and phone number...

It's 5pm, on a lovely sunny afternoon. DS was coming home from school. He said he had been chatting to someone about trains and train stations (he is a transport nut) - and now this? WTF? I did say to the police that he likes transport and likes to watch the trams. I am not going to insist he stays indoors all the time - why should I?

OP posts:

Report

MyDcAreMarvel · 19/04/2018 17:26

He shouldn’t really be chatting to random
adults though, I can see why that could put him at risk.

Tink2007 · 19/04/2018 17:26

That’s very bizarre.

What did you say to the police?

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 19/04/2018 17:26

Who was the ‘someone’ he was talking to?

Tink2007 · 19/04/2018 17:26

Just seen the bit about talking to random strangers so maybe that would be why?

Bambamber · 19/04/2018 17:27

Did they tell you to keep him indoors? Or did they just make sure he got home safely after a member of the public expressed concern?

scurryfunge · 19/04/2018 17:28

Maybe they thought someone was trying to groom him.

Sirzy · 19/04/2018 17:29

I have to say I think it’s good that the police, and seemingly a member of the public, are aware and helping those who seem vulnerable.

Mosaic123 · 19/04/2018 17:30

Maybe the Police know the "someone" and he or she is not a good person for your son to associate with. A drug dealer for example?

I imagine they are not allowed to tell you who the "someone" is.

ReanimatedSGB · 19/04/2018 17:30

They said they could tell everything was all right but as someone had reported to them, they had to check.

I'll see if I can find out a little more about who he was talking to, but even if it was a stranger, it would have been nothing more than chatter about trains. But I still think this was pretty excessive and officious when the streets and trams and buses are full of kids coming home from school and taking their time to do so because of it being a nice day.

OP posts:

youngnomore · 19/04/2018 17:31

Why are you upset with the police ? Maybe they saw something a bit suspicious and intervened. Who was the someone he was chatting to ?

Vangoghsear · 19/04/2018 17:32

You should be grateful, in case the random stranger was someone not to be trusted.

Strugglingtodomybest · 19/04/2018 17:33

That does seem very strange!

AlonsoTigerHeart · 19/04/2018 17:34

It could be that another person thought the 'somone' looked dodgy

I can't see how the police are in the wrong. Had something happened you would be screaming 'where were the police'

Springtrolls · 19/04/2018 17:34

Maybe the person who reported knows something about the person your son was chatting to.,

ZibbidooZibbidooZibbidoo · 19/04/2018 17:36

Christ alive!! Can teenagers seriously not have idle chit chat with adults anymore? That sounds like a massive overreaction to me. Glad the police are able to check all is ok but who the hell reports a 13 year old being on their own outside??

scurryfunge · 19/04/2018 17:36

Alonso, the first rule of Mumsnet is that the police are always in the wrong.

ineedamoreadultieradult · 19/04/2018 17:39

I agree it could be the 'someone' who was the issue. There is a man who regularly hangs around the back lane to my street, he is generally drunk or high or both and sometimes wees up the walls or sees himself. If I see him stop kids in the back lane and start talking to them I will make sure he sees me and try and give the kids an escape route.

jaimelannistersgoldenhand · 19/04/2018 17:40

Not a good idea for him to speak to random strangers. (I'm assuming that he spoke to an adult rather than child from school) Strange that someone called the police though. Did he tell this stranger personal details like his name perhaps?

mostdays · 19/04/2018 17:40

I think the police are damned if they do and damned if they don't in situations like this. If they do nothing and something does happen to the child in question, they will be blamed and destroyed (and no doubt will feel guilt and pain for a long, long time), if they do something a lot of us roll their eyes and think they're being stupid. So whilst I agree that it is ridiculous for a 13 year old to be brought home by police on a lovely sunny afternoon because a member of the public thought he 'seemed to be lost and was potentially vulnerable', and that you should not roll back on his freedoms at all, I do really sympathise with the police here.

AsAProfessionalFekko · 19/04/2018 17:42

Maybe the person who spoke to the police saw him talking to an obvious stranger and was concerned (for whatever reason).

I wish the police had escorted me home when I was 9 and followed onto the bus by am aggressive drunk who decided that he wanted a kiss at the bus stop. Then followed me into the bus and sat right behind me, trying to touch my hair until eventually an elderly man whacked his arm with his walking stick as he tried to pull my hood (I'd put it up as I was so scared). It was a bloody long his ride.

Noone said a bloody word.

TerfinUSA · 19/04/2018 17:42

hmm. was he talking to another 'train nut'? I know a few and autism rates and hence looking 'odd' is quite high, but then I suppose as a minor it's difficult to really criticise the police in this case.

jaimelannistersgoldenhand · 19/04/2018 17:42

Agree that it could be who he was talking to (and the police can't tell you what that person's problem is because of privacy issues)

ferrier · 19/04/2018 17:43

I don't suppose the police would have got involved if they weren't concerned by something. I'd be grateful they were there to protect your son to be honest.

ReanimatedSGB · 19/04/2018 17:45

OK, DS says that he was actually talking to his schoolfriends about trains and transport (yes, this is what he often does), and a man butted in to ask if he was lost. DS said no, and the man walked along the tram to where the transport police were, and spoke to them, at which point they came and asked DS if he was lost and, though he said no, they escorted him home.

DS said there was something a bit odd about the man, so perhaps that was the reason - maybe the transport police were actually concerned the man might follow DS home, I suppose. (The transport police don't travel on the trams constantly, they just come and go at random unless there's an incident.)

OP posts:

Fairenuff · 19/04/2018 17:46

Did the person actually want to talk to him about trains though? If a young teenager started randomly talking to an adult about a subject they had no interest in, I can see why they might have thought he was vulnerable. Especially if he didn't pick up on any cues that they might not be interested or perhaps just wanted to go about their day. Maybe they thought a person with bad intentions could take advantage of him?

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