Have you ever called the police?

[SpringSpringTime]

If so what for, and how did it work out?

Used to have to call them all the time when I worked in retail for shoplifting scumbags. Sometimes they got arrested and taken to court but mostly not.

Saw someone fly tipping at the top of the lane where we lived, called the police and gave them his reg no. They phoned back to say he was being escorted back to pick up all the rubbish. Told neighbours and a group of us went up to thank the police and watch him pick up his rubbish.

He didn't look a happy bunny.

Yes, once when a kid drove into a neighbours fence, drunk out their gourd. Another time when a kid drove into a power pole - again, drunk out his gourd. Also, when some neighbours were having the most horrendous, violent, row. I say row, because they were both giving as good as they got, and it had got very physical.

First one, they arrested the kids. Second one, the kid was found to have been driving drunk when disqualified, and he was sentenced accordingly - the police called me to tell me, because I'd been somewhat instrumental in his apprehension, and the third one, the couple united in the face of the police visit, and got violent with them - and arrested as a result.

Yes, sadly found a body. They were very quick and helpful. I still have nightmares though. It's always dogwalkers who find them, apparently.

I've called the non-emergency number twice:

-1st time when teens were spray painting across the rd

-2nd time when I thought kids were playing with rocks and hit me and someone ahead of me too. Turns out I'd actually shot in the leg with a high powered air rifle! I would have called 999 if I'd realised at the time!

Loads. Mostly for work, when a s/u has made a disclosure of something that is a crime, or something has happened on site that is a crime. Often to report ds1 missing from home. A few times for neighbour DV (only once did that ever get what I would consider an appropriate response).

Police phoned me on my personal mobile a few months back on a Sunday night to give me an update on a case I had reported to them in my work capacity, which threw me as I never use my personal number for work. I asked the officer calling how he had the number and he just said it was listed as my contact number so I assume somehow the times I've phoned them as a private citizen are recorded with the times I've contacted them as a practitioner. Odd.

Oh, I forgot the most recent one. We called the police when we got involved supporting a young Muslim woman who had accidentally backed into a very nasty man's car at the supermarket (barely touched his car, absolutely no damage). He was verbally aggressive and physically intimidating her, and she asked us to go and support her, which we did. (He physically assaulted me). We called the police, and when he realised they were on the phone and going to send a unit, he legged it. Prat.

Yes, phoned the non emergency number several times to report drug dealing in a primary school car park. They never answered the phone, despite holding for more than 30mins at a time.

Don’t have a lot of faith in the police, to be honest.

Yep. I've called the non emergency number when I had money stolen from my purse, I needed a crime ref number for insurance although ultimately couldn't claim . Then when ex stole DS camera, and when ex refused to use car seats for DC. Those were more for advice than anything else.

And called 999 at work once when one of my patients had been refusing meds and had a psychotic episode which included threatening to kill me.

I called 999 from a train once. I saw a member of station staff being pushed by a man on an otherwise-deserted platform as my (non-stopping) train passed through. I was terrified she'd go over the edge. I didn't ask for a follow up call but do now wish I had as I would have liked to have known that she was ok.

I also once called as there was a car on fire on the side of the road. It was a busy road but I didn't want to assume that someone else had already called.

And I once called when I nearly ran a teenager over who was staggering around in the middle of a country lane in torrential rain very late at night. I am a bit ashamed that I didn't stop and see if I could help him but I'm afraid I felt too vulnerable doing this on my own.

Yes! When a loose sheep was galloping towards a motorway slip road, I tried to catch it but no luck!
(Not my sheep 😂)

A very drunk man started bashing our door about 1am. He got increasingly aggressive and threatened to smash windows etc. Called the police who weren't really interested and kept saying we will send someone when we can.
I was absolutely terrified so repeatedly called police back over a 40 min period while crazy man hollered downstairs, and the best the call responder could offer me was 'carry your sleeping kids into a bathroom and lock the door incase he gets into the house' . Wtf?
Decided to try calm him down so spoke to him from an upstairs window and he rambled on a bit but he said he was cold and needed clothes and that he was locked out so could we call the police for him. Lobbed him a jumper to try make him feel less desperate (and maybe just warm up and pass out...) and kept him talking to stop him cracking more glass. It worked for a little while but then he got more angry saying I was lying when I told him the police were coming. He carried on ranting and smashing and I made out he was saying 'my name is xxxx xxxx tell them that and they will get a Move on' . So I did a quick Google in my panic and lo and behold up popped his mugshot and name as a wanted man on the run having been convicted of gbh and armed robbery.
Got back on the phone to police for the 10th time and said 'he says he is xxxx xxxx where are you I can only string this out for so long help', and within 10 mins 3 vans showed up, bundled him up and stuffed him in the back and disappeared.

That was it. No police ever spoke to me about the incident or checked if he had robbed us or assaulted us or asked for any statement etc. They all just disappeared into the night with the bloke.

Twice in the space of an hour. First time called 999 as someone was trying to open my door. Police appeared within minutes and it turned out to be my ex drunk . Against my better judgement I told them I would deal with it from there but he wouldn't go home so after I while I called 101. It took about 45 minutes for them to come that time. I was really impressed with the 999 call handler I was terrified and crying as I was alone with my 2 children she stayed on the phone to me the full time and tried to keep me calm.

bloody hell @Splinkyplonk that must have been terrifying.

I have, 4 times.
Once, many years ago as a teenager when I was jumped on by kids from another school. My friend and I were both injured, not seriously, but enough for the police to be interested and the police took us in their car to look for the people who did it. We couldn't find them. It was in the days before mobiles, so they'd run off before we even found a phone box.

Twice in the past five or six years about a particular set of neighbours who have regular shouting matches in the street in the middle of the night. These 2 times it got physical and the police came and took him away. He always comes back though ☹️

And once when someone was threatening to break down our door and beat up dh. Our neighbours (different ones) owed him money, but they weren't answering their door. He could see dh was still up (this was 2am and the man was very drunk) and thought he'd shout about beating dh up as a threat for the neighbours. The police came and spoke to him for a good few minutes then took him home. Apparently he then went out again and caused some damage elsewhere. The police took statements from us, but we didn't ever need to go to court or anything, so we don't know what happened.

Last time I called was for cows loose on the verge of a major dual carriageway. They said they had had several reports and someone was on their way out! I do a lot of driving and have called several times for things like wheelbarrows in the carriage that have presumably come off the back of vans.

Once-I saw someone looking like they were getting ready to jump from a motorway bridge. It always plays on my mind because I never knew if they were looking to jump or just loitering.

A lot actually 🤷

Several times when I worked in mental health because of the service user.

Twice in a directly personal capacity - once they were amazing, the other time they victim blamed.

Once because I was sexually assaulted in broad daylight, again they were okay.

Once because my car was broken into - they were crap then.

Twice due to things on the road - M62 west bound rush hour, some Berk had lost his roofbox and it was laying in the outside lane (thank god the guy in front of me spotted it) and another time because someone had lost their ladders on the pinch point of a slip road exit.

I've also had them knock on my door at 2am, which was the most terrifying thing. And entirely unnecessary - they thought it was my car that had been wrapped around a tree and left there (I'd sold it earlier in the day)

I called 999 when I was about 16 because my next door neighbour (nice quiet cul-de-sac) chased someone out of the house, threw him to the ground and laid into him. I was convinced he was going to kill him. It seemed to go on for ages and every time the man tried to get away he'd be thrown back and pummelled again. The police never came.

Twice both non emergencies. First one was while working in a phone shop years ago someone with fake ID committing fraud (arrested but not charged despite evidence ). The second time a lorry driver crashed into me and wouldn't give me his insurance details. He suddenly decided he could speak English when the police turned up. The third was 999 as our shop had been robbed (armed robbery). I made the call apparently but can't remember doing it

Yes and they are useless.
Flasher in the front garden -they went to wrong address (sane road name, different postcode. Arrived hours later.
Assault (guy shouting, rude, grabbed my phone and smashed to the ground 'Her's the crime number for your insurance'
Cyclised crashed into my (stationery) car causing damage -several witnesses.'Here's a crime number for you insurance'
Attempted burglary.Mo/one sans 'Here's a number for you insurance'
Only interested in historic sex offences or racism.
I am the dirt of demographic that used to support the police. Now au think they are useless shower.

Once, about 7/8 years ago now - the house opposite were having a blazing row, after a couple of huge crashes and an ear-splitting scream from the woman we decided we had to do something! Police came, went inside for about 30-40 minutes but left on their own. We were worried we might have actually made the situation worse for the poor woman if partner rounded on her and took it out on her even more but things stayed quiet and we saw her leaving with her things the following week. I do hope she had somewhere safe to stay and is happier now!

Once phoned the non-emergency number.

A man who lives across the road had been dragging peoples bins into the road & shouting aggressively in the road (at himself) in the middle of the night, clearly drunk & having a mental health crisis.

Quite sad. Don't know how it panned out but he eventually went home & I presume he has been offered some support.

Once when on my way home from a night out at uni, a little boy who only looked about 10 staggering along down the road looking absolutely plastered. He managed to run off when the car arrived though so the officer had to drive round trying to find him.

Once when DP and I were driving home from my mums, went over a small bridge near a marina and there was a man standing there leaning right over. Was pitch black so only just saw him. They rang back to say they couldn’t find him.

Once when I witnessed a bus driver being attacked. They were already aware.

Then, as a University student, my housemates called the Police on my behalf when I was attacked on my way home (I basically legged it home when a naked man tried to grab me off the street and down an alleyway) they responded immediately, first to try to locate the man and then to my house to get full statement. They never found him, but did have an increased presence in the area for a little while.