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Original poster

If you had to describe someone to the police

45 replies

Soubriquet · 09/01/2020 18:31

Due to witnessing a crime/victim of a crime could you do it?

I can’t. I witnessed a robbery once and all I could say was it was a man.

I couldn’t estimate age, height, weight.

Hair colour and everything was a blur.

I’m sure the police felt a bit Hmm with me but I seriously couldn’t describe anything.

But now when I think of it, I would struggle to describe most people. If I picture someone I had just met, I couldn’t describe them.

OP posts:
Wiltshire90 · 09/01/2020 18:34

Police officer here, very normal!! Lots of differing descriptions in witness statements.

I'm exactly the same- when I watch my body cam footage back it's always slightly different to how I remember it. It's just how the brain processes information in stressful situation.

IncrediblySadToo · 09/01/2020 18:39

I’d be utterly crap!!

I’m crap at noting/remembering details when I’m not under stress or not deliberately paying attention - let alone when I am.

Nope I’m not the person you’d want to be relying on as a witness!!

Justanotherlurker · 09/01/2020 18:45

I've been reading that witness statements are not totally reliable anyway, just got into the true crime scene after watching Mindhunter and such like Blush, it is why they ask for more witnesses etc.

A podcast I listen to mentioned that unless you are the victim then it is very hard to describe them as you have less of the 'shock' factor and in some instances don't really know whats going on so a guy you spotted walking down the street ended up robbing some house etc.

The podcast went on to 'kind of' how to prove the theory by you trying to give a detailed enough description of someone you saw on your commute, that one person who you haven't seen before or don't see regularly enough.

Like i say its probably all bullshit but I'm early into the true crime and serial killer stuff Blush

Bluerussian · 09/01/2020 18:46

I doubt I would be able to describe someone accurately. I'd have taken an impression of the person away with me but not the details.

Spudlet · 09/01/2020 18:51

A former colleague of mine disturbed a burglar at his house. Gave the police what he thought was a very thorough description. Completely failed to note that the bloke had no trousers on!

Quite normal AFAIK - I remember covering perception for a-level psychology and reading studies on eye-witness statements. Eye-witnesses would give details that they couldn’t possibly have seen unless they were able to be in two places at once but these would be genuine ‘memories’ - they lie minds had filled in all these gaps and provided all sorts of details that they couldn’t possibly have seen, but without the witness having any conscious awareness of having done so.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 09/01/2020 18:53

I've had to once. It was really hard... I was concentrating more than escaping than what he looked like. Police officer asked me lots of detailed questions, which brought up more details of what he looked like. Never caught him though, but I never expected they would.
..

Justanotherlurker · 09/01/2020 18:54

Police officer here, very normal!! Lots of differing descriptions in witness statements.

Yay, adds the podcast to my feed because it isn't totally bullshit Grin

ShowOfHands · 09/01/2020 18:56

When doing psychology a level, a man knocked on the classroom door and asked for some exam papers from our teacher. She didn't have them and he was v aggressive and angry. They shouted at each other for a while and he stormed off.

The teacher then asked us what colour his shirt was, had he been wearing glasses, which wrist was his watch on etc. Nobody had a clue. 15 bright students and an argument at least 2 minutes long. Not a single detail beyond "he was a man" retained.

ShowOfHands · 09/01/2020 18:57

(obviously a staged argument, he came back and apologised for the aggression. It was the teacher's DH!)

Original poster
Soubriquet · 09/01/2020 19:09

I sort of figured stress would be a main factor.

But I couldn’t do it in a normal manor either.

For example, if I had an interview. I wouldn’t be able to say what they looked like, how tall etc.

All I would be able to say was if they were a man or a woman

OP posts:
heymammy · 09/01/2020 19:09

I had to describe an intruder at my house to the police, thought I was doing really well until they asked me "and what were his shoes/trainers like?" No fecking clue, I was too busy manhandling him out the front door at the time!

Nonstopbuttmachine · 09/01/2020 19:22

I always notice people's (strangers') appearances (height, build, smell, accent, clothes etc) when others don't seem to. Like PPs have said though, I probably wouldn't be able to remember details under stress as a witness.

This does remind me of an incident years ago though Blush I used to live in Liverpool, very close to Sefton Park and a lovely 'Lane'. I was strolling down the Lane with my partner in broad daylight when he suddenly grabbed my hand and said 'Oh, I think the post office is getting robbed!' I asked him why he thought that. He said 'Well, there are three guys with balaclavas and guns and a getaway car'. I hadn't even noticed Blush

In my defence, it was pre-lasik and I was as blind as a bat Blush

KurriKurri · 09/01/2020 19:29

I had to do it once - I was fairly hopeless - and I'd actually consciously tried to observe (situation was he was next to me in a traffic queue and something occurred which needed reporting). I remembered his skin colour, colour of his t shirt and hair colour. I did manage to get hthe car reg. so hopefully that was more use.

I'm not very good at faces generally - I'm always getting famous people. film stars etc confused - or having no clue at all beyond a vague 'I think I might have seen that person somewhere before'.

I'd be terrified of doing an ID parade - I'd be so worried about picking the wrong person. (although I daresay that doesn't always matter)

DrKnickerbocker · 09/01/2020 20:00

I was the victim of an attempted kidnapping when I was 14.

Fortunately I have a very loud gob and was right away from the edge of the pavement so the man who was trying to get me in his car couldn't quite grab me.

When I got to the police station I could only remember the colour and shape of the car.
Absolutely everything else went out of my brain, frustratingly as I was face to face with the man who tried to bundle me in Angry

DrKnickerbocker · 09/01/2020 20:02

I pay much more attention now. I analyse everyone I see when I'm out and get the fuck away from any areas which give me a 'feeling.'

Keepthebloodynoisedown · 09/01/2020 20:15

It’s very common for witness statements to be unreliable. It’s a mixture of stress in the situation and our brains not being wired to take in details like that unless we really try. Once you add in different ethnicities things become even harder.

Claphands · 09/01/2020 20:35

You can recall a lot by a process of elimination thought process
Did he have a beard?
Was he dark haired?
Was he wearing a bright colour?

Justanotherlurker · 09/01/2020 20:44

You can recall a lot by a process of elimination thought process
Did he have a beard?
Was he dark haired?
Was he wearing a bright colour?

If it was that simplistic then the police around the world wouldn't consider witness statements as almost useless unless numbers are involved.

It is great for narrowing down, but for a details description you are just touching on the basics.

Nonnymum · 09/01/2020 20:48

I don't think I could do it. I am not convinced I could even recognise them if I saw them again. I don't have a very good memory for faces.

Redglitter · 09/01/2020 20:49

Totally normal. I'm a Police dispatcher and we regularly circulate details of someone based on an initial report. Then the officers go and either speak to other witnesses or view cctv and the revised description is so different

YeOldeTrout · 09/01/2020 20:49

I've not had trouble remembering description when i gave statements to the police. I can remember some details now from those incidents (decades ago).

I have mild facial blindness though. So I could tell you skinny guy with very dark hair X height & weight & very approx age & build & mustache wearing X colours & Y type of shoes & his car registration plate & some details about his eyes or nose if unusual or whatever... but I couldn't recognise that specific guy in a line up of 5 similar looking men. No chance.

AmazingGreats · 09/01/2020 21:02

I never remember a name, but I never forget a face

okletsdothis · 09/01/2020 21:05

I definitely have some degree of facial blindness too, and I am genuinely gobsmacked that some people are able to give a clear enough description for an accurate police sketch.

Evilmorty · 09/01/2020 21:08

I’m a hard stare kind of person. If someone looks at me too long, I won’t look away until they do. If i think someone is committing a crime, I’ll stare hard so that I put every inch of that face in to my memory so I can recall them if I need to. I grew up in a very high crime area of London so you get a good sense of whose face you’ll need to remember! Grin

Justanotherlurker · 10/01/2020 22:55

This is doing the rounds today and made me remember about this post.

Think its confirmation that it's not only witness statements that are out of touch

If you had to describe someone to the police
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