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Original poster

Police came round last night

33 replies

whatonearthhappened · 01/02/2021 14:08

Name changed for this thread for obvious reasons. Boring Sunday night sat watching TV. Knock at the door. Husband answered didn't think anything if it until I heard prolonged dialogue. Then heard my daughter say 'omg it's the police they've put dad in handcuffs' so I thought wtf so ran downstairs. They asked me who I was and who else was in the house and asked if they could go upstairs. Husband still cuffed whilst this went on. They came down and said they were happy that nothing untoward had happened. They then said they had a call from someone screaming saying their were being assaulted and were locked in the bathroom. They apparently gave our address. After they were happy the call hadn't come from us they walked around the area (a bloody riot van and three cars blocking the entire road) the one later came back and said so sorry again and explained someone was in custody but didn't explain whether it was due to a prank call or they actually found the right address. Any ideas at all? I'm freaked out someone would do a hoax like that but I'm also feeling sick that someone may have called for help and had to wait due to them getting the wrong address

OP posts:
LemmysAceCard · 01/02/2021 14:13

We had an ambulance turn up once around 2am. The knock on the door woke us up. Spoke to the very nice ambulance man, he asked several questions to make sure nobody was hurt and went on his way. Double checked that it was the correct address (similar road name is just over the other side of the village),

I was so bloody angry that somebody would waste ambulance resources like that.

If they said that somebody was in custody sounds like they found the right address. But if it was a hoax it is bloody annoying.

DeeThree · 01/02/2021 14:14

That sounds very traumatic for you all, especially your husband who was handcuffed at the front door.
No idea what happened, but I hope you're all ok & if there was someone in danger they're now ok too.

Ludo19 · 01/02/2021 14:15

That's an awful thing to have happened to you all.

Maybe in the panic, the caller or the person taking the details put in the wrong house number or mixed up street and avenue......is that a possibility?

ProfessorSlocombe · 01/02/2021 14:15

What paperwork did they leave, explaining why they restrained your DH ?

Original poster
whatonearthhappened · 01/02/2021 14:18

I guess all of that is a possibility
It was very traumatic but I work in the dv arena and know police have to cuff and possible perpetrators for everyone's safety and check everyone is safe. My 5 year old was woke up to a police officer checking he was okay. My older daughter was having a panic attack. I feel mainly sick that a someone was getting beaten and had to lock themselves in a bathroom and call the police out although I know these nasty assaults occur but if it was a hoax it feels really frightening. I've no idea how we would ever find out either

OP posts:
Original poster
whatonearthhappened · 01/02/2021 14:18

@ProfessorSlocombe

What paperwork did they leave, explaining why they restrained your DH ?
They didn't leave any paperwork
OP posts:
Blacktothepink · 01/02/2021 14:19

Similar has happened to us...police turned up investigating a domestic situation, then realised they had the wrong address.

ProfessorSlocombe · 01/02/2021 14:23

They didn't leave any paperwork

So that's one requirement not followed. There will be others.

Not much to be done now. Chalk it up to experience.

www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/st-s/stop-and-search/stop-and-search-process/

Original poster
whatonearthhappened · 01/02/2021 14:25

I did think it was weird there was no paperwork no incident number no evidence of the whole thing but my head was spinning the whole time

OP posts:
ProfessorSlocombe · 01/02/2021 14:29

@whatonearthhappened

I did think it was weird there was no paperwork no incident number no evidence of the whole thing but my head was spinning the whole time
That's because you are nice, and trust the police. Too late now.

Could have been worse. Ask the Groce family.

Advice to any and all reading this is to insist on a receipt if you are ever stopped and searched.

visitorfromtheplanetzog · 01/02/2021 14:33

Well thank goodness they managed to find and arrest the right person, and that people are now safe.

Sorry you had such a shock.

StrawberryPi · 01/02/2021 14:35

[quote ProfessorSlocombe]They didn't leave any paperwork

So that's one requirement not followed. There will be others.

Not much to be done now. Chalk it up to experience.

www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/st-s/stop-and-search/stop-and-search-process/[/quote]
This was not a stop and search and therefore that guidance does not apply. This was restraint of a potential perpetrator at the scene of a crime (although obviously they realised it was not the scene of a crime!).

ProfessorSlocombe · 01/02/2021 14:38

Well thank goodness they managed to find and arrest the right person, and that people are now safe.

Well, yes. After pratting about at the wrong address for goodness knows how long.

You'll note how they didn't immediately force entry to check upstairs. Suggesting they damn well knew this wasn't the right address from the off.

Or, to reverse it. If they really were looking for someone who was in possibly lethal danger, why were they so chatty at the door ?

ProfessorSlocombe · 01/02/2021 14:41

This was not a stop and search and therefore that guidance does not apply. This was restraint of a potential perpetrator at the scene of a crime (although obviously they realised it was not the scene of a crime!).

The second the cuffs went on, there is a duty of care on the police. Suppose the DH stumbled and unable to catch themselves struck their head and died ? That duty of care comes with the right to a receipt. As I said, too late now. The incident never happened.

We also need to know what resistance the DH was giving that required restraints. Unless he was under arrest. And then we need to know why he was arrested.

anotherlongwalk · 01/02/2021 14:44

@ProfessorSlocombe it wasn't a stop search as pp has already said, there was no paperwork needed to be left. And even stop searches are now usually recorded electronically so paper work not issued at the time but available to get if wanted at a later date.

The paperwork the officer should have submitted is a use of force form to explain reason for cuffing, this isn't a form that is left with the person who was cuffed, it's more for internal audits.

raindough · 01/02/2021 14:50

Well, yes. After pratting about at the wrong address for goodness knows how long.

Jesus Christ. You’re always bashing the police aren’t you? Get a life

They were at the wrong address because the victim gave the wrong address. Are you just expecting them to not visit the address given and not investigate? Nowhere does OP state that the police stayed longer than necessary either.

“Goodness knows” what’s actually wrong with you @ProfessorSlocombe

mogloveseggs · 01/02/2021 14:54

I've had this. Dog going ballistic-went to see and a policeman was trying to get in the door but the dog wasn't for letting him. They said they'd had a call for my street address but no town so all the addresses in the county I think it was had to be checked.
They searched the house then left.
It was half term, I wasn't dressed, house was a tip-mortified.

DrunkenKoala · 01/02/2021 14:57

Slightly different but when I was a teenager my dad was pottering around in the garage early one evening. A police van pulled up and an officer came and spoke to my dad telling him my brother was in the police van, which was confusing as my brother had been at the dinner table half an hour earlier and my dad was pretty sure my brother hadn’t left the house since. It turned out it was my neighbour’s son in the van and he’d given the police our address. My dad identified him and gave them the correct address and off they went.

We were really surprised as we wondered why they hadn’t just taken him to the police station and got his parents to pick him up from there.

Original poster
whatonearthhappened · 01/02/2021 14:58

I'm just a bit annoyed they put cuffs on someone who was clearly not resisting or being aggressive in any way

OP posts:
nitsandwormsdodger · 01/02/2021 15:04

Sorry you had this experience
Personally I'm glad the policy is to cuff the potential perp and check the house and everyone in it

Well done police I say !

babbaloushka · 01/02/2021 15:05

That sounds so scary OP, did they act as though your DP was being arrested? Are they allowed to handcuff someone who's not being arrested?

TomorrowIsAnotherDae · 01/02/2021 15:05

Glad it was all a misunderstanding OP, it could have been worse - a few years ago a colleague of mine had the police smash down her door early one morning when she was getting her children ready for school. They tore through her house looking for drugs and terrified everyone. They had the wrong house. She didn’t even get an apology as they “were doing their job”. She was left to clean up and console 3 terrified young kids. They did pay for the door to be repaired 😕

DrunkenKoala · 01/02/2021 15:13

@whatonearthhappened

I'm just a bit annoyed they put cuffs on someone who was clearly not resisting or being aggressive in any way
To be fair to the police, they’d had reports of a man being violent and whilst you know your husband, they don’t and they will have had experience of dealing with a very calm person one minute and then that person turning aggressive. I think they were right to handcuff until they’d established the facts.

Sorry you had to experience this.

Original poster
whatonearthhappened · 01/02/2021 15:23

@TomorrowIsAnotherDae

Glad it was all a misunderstanding OP, it could have been worse - a few years ago a colleague of mine had the police smash down her door early one morning when she was getting her children ready for school. They tore through her house looking for drugs and terrified everyone. They had the wrong house. She didn’t even get an apology as they “were doing their job”. She was left to clean up and console 3 terrified young kids. They did pay for the door to be repaired 😕
Yes I did say I was so glad that never happened
OP posts:
Serendipity79 · 01/02/2021 15:30

I had to call the police a few times before my ex left. We're on a new estate, it was only 2 years old at the time and all 3 times they attended they went to the next close along instead of ours based on the postcode.

It sounds horrible what's happened, but it could be a genuine mix up (not a good excuse)

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