Calling the police to check on a crying baby

Where’s their father? Agree - people are quick to report others but quick to make excuses/slow to help. If it was so far away, how could you tell that they weren’t trying to comfort the baby? If you weee close enough to make that determination you could have popped out of your house to look. I agree - babies’ welfare is paramount but try and work out what’s going out first. What a sad society we live in now. People aren’t helpful.

My parents had police phoned by neighbours multiple times in my first 2 years of life due to my crying.
Apparently multiple neighbours commented on it being a very loud, abnormal cry.

I became a semi-professional opera singer, and I sometimes wonder if that's related.

We have a large box of laundry powder now, but it always catches us out before we get something in front of it.

Or the mother could feel further isolated and judged knowing that her neighbours will call the police if she cant stop her baby crying. That could make her more depressed and less willing to reach out for support.

What the OP overheard was in no way comparable to the Maria Colwell case.

No one is saying that the police should never be called. But wrongful accusations do harm and waste police time - time that might be better spent protecting someone else. So most people dont ring them just on the off-chance.

I think I'd let the police make that decision rather than not call if I was worried.

A child taking food from bins would always raise alarm bells. Absolutely every baby cries though. Stealing food from bins is unusual behaviour from a child. A baby crying isn't unusual

If its loud enough to cause concern to multiple adults.... baby crying (for over 1.5hrs actually per the OPs updates), adults shouting and slamming doors. It peaked concern, it wasn't just a baby crying for 30 minutes. Then yes, I would at least contact authorities. If nothing is the matter then great but at least it's been flagged if it was an issue.

Sigh....why are so many people determined to find fault in what OP did.

OP says

• loud very distressed crying for over half an hour.
• crying stayed at the same level for ther period time.
• raised voices and car doors slamming
• it just didn’t sit right and it sounded like no attempt to comfort them was being made at all.
• for it to be that loud from this distance didn’t seem right.
• had three colicky babies so I do know babies can cry for periods of time
• police treating it as a priority case and checking things out.

In January 1973, in Whitehawk in Brighton, a little girl called Maria Colwell was killed by her stepfather. Afterwards numerous neighbours reported seeing that child stealing food from dustbins. It appeared that too many people took the view that it wasn’t their business. Now here we are, 52 years later, and still there are people who think the OP should give the parents the benefit of the doubt. A young child crying loudly for a long time, could, as some of you have said, be a colicky baby. But think about it, the mother of the child could be at the end of her tether. May have PND, may benefit from the support of social services if the police call them in. Or the baby may be saved from a dire situation by the police being called.

Exactly.

What if any child is in danger? Shall we send police to every house in the country as i am sure most babies have cried for 30 minutes at least once and I am sure a large proportion of new parents have argued.

You did the right thing … I wouldn’t even know how to get in touch with my local SS anyway!

My now adult DD frequently cried for up to an hour at a time when she was a baby,I could do nothing to console her. So glad that I didn't have neighbours who called the police every time she cried for more than half an hour!

Oh well that’s just brilliant isn’t it … and goes some way to explain why these things escalate to where they do.
”Lessons learned” and all that.
Whats the point of OP calling SS, they wouldn’t be open until the next day!!

But what if this child was in danger?

You did the right thing. Your instinct didn’t like the sound or intensity of the cry and you acted out of concern.

Baby Preston Davy’s neighbours were also uncomfortable with the level of crying that came from that house and unfortunately did nothing. And they are not in any way to blame, most people would not do anything. But I think if anything is to be learned from his horrific life and death is that when we are concerned for a child’s safety then we act.

Way over the top seriously my twins could cry for exact same reasons colic,changing,bath for even longer than you said
.sometimes it's sooth one then sooth next the restart with first again so ye as a mum of many I would have been very annoyed as you automatically trigger child services doing that also and what a process they are to get thru

You've done the right thing OP. My son had awful colic and reflux and pretty much screamed constantly for the first 3 months! But you cant know what is going on and its always better to report anything that worries you- safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. X

If we call the police if a child is crying because it's better to be safe than sorry, then it's only logical that we call the police if we can't hear a child? Afteral both screaming and silence could mean the worst.

I'm glad you did this, we are all responsible to protect, whether we choose to or not.

As an ex child protection manager I think this a is a question of conscience. If you make a report out of genuine concern for a child's welfare then whatever the outcome you should never feel you have done wrong. I have actually had to deal with the deaths and irreversible injuries to babies and minors. The moral is 'If in doubt check it out'.

No it wouldn't. They are not an emergency/rapid response service and have no power to act in the moment. If you're worried about a child there and then it's always police.

Just throw a cushion or a towel on the floor.

And how many times do we here about people calling the police and them not arriving for hours until it is far too late? Maybe if they weren't attending unnecessary calls that wouldn't happen. Maybe OP lives somewhere that is well resourced but it certainly isn't like that where I live. I am not saying that people should never call the police but there needs to be a bit of common sense. Unless I lived somewhere dodgy I would have checked on the neighbour first.

@summermumma2021 Any update?