How many times have you called the police?

[TommyNever]

Just a thread out of curiosity. I'm middle aged and have found cause to call the police four times in my life so far.

Once for an attempted burglary, once late at night when a woman in the street was screaming for help, and twice for street fights outside my house, when I lived in an unsavoury part of town.

Is that a more or less than average tally for the Mumsnet readership?

I don’t think I’ve ever called the police.

Significantly less than mine. I’m not sure how many times exactly but it would definitely be over 100.

Three times

Once because a drunk driver was swerving in and out of the roads.

Another because a man was hitchhiking on the hard shoulder of the motorway at night.

And a third because a drunk man had become violent and was banging on my car when I stopped so I didn't run him over however that turned into an ambulance call when he passed out in front of my car and was unconscious.

17yo... saw a bus driver being attacked
19yo... when I was attacked (but technically my friends did that on my behalf)
Last year... non emergency line to report number plate theft.

Have also had police turn up in a riot van at a party at our house but we didn't call them! We had called an ambulance and they had to accompany an ambulance if alcohol was involved.

The emergency line, once as a witness to a high speed collision between a car and a motorcycle and once as a witness to an assault going on where about a dozen people were laying into one boy lying in the road on a dual carriageway.

The non emergency line once to report my car had been broken into overnight.

Luckily, never and I hope not to need them.

A few times - reporting a broken down car in lane three of a motorway, reporting debris on a motorway, a break-in in progress and a couple of others.

It probably depends on where you work. I have to call the police pretty regularly due to the nature of my job. Not that the police ever do anything, we just need crime reference numbers for internal reporting on incidents. I'd say in the past year I personally have contacted the police 10+ times due to work related incidents. I also had contact with them over a personal incident involving my car this year. That's probably the first time I've contacted them for a personal incident, I can't think of any other time I would have.

Never. Haven't had a need or seen anyone need me to call, yet!

I’ve called 999 twice- once when I saw an elderly lady being threatened and once for a fight.

Ive called the local police number twice- once to report a sighting of a missing person and once because there was someone seemingly drunk/collapsed/ill in a bus stop (I only saw because I paused in the car at a junction… wasn’t sure enough there was an issue to call 999 but also not comfortable doing nothing in case he did need help!)

I live in an inner city area with a massive anti social behaviour problem and in the house across the street from us is a family of dealers, so I virtually lost count of how many times I called the police. Sometimes 999 but most of the time 101.

I have lost count.

Multiple times for car accidents (some we were in some we were first on scene/witnesses to)

2 times for people threatening to jump off a bridge (I used to walk to work very early over that bridge)

Once when a lady who spoke no English knocked on our door late at night with no shoes a torn dress and obviously very distressed.

Multiple times for people fighting/smashing car windows etc in the street and once for someone crashing their car into a house.

Once for a man randomly walking around town with a gun and a machete.

I think that's about it.

Twice. Once an elderley man was walking down the road staggering and was naked from the waist down but he wouldnt let me near him to help. Once my son went missing.

I have been contacted by the police twice as a witness to crime as well.

3 to 999. 1 x kids throwing concrete off the bridge over the dual carriageway, 1 x elderly couple broken down on motorway in live lane during rush hour and the signs weren't showing they were there and 1 x a man driving a mobility scooter in the middle of the 40 limit unlit road in the dark.

Have called an ambulance twice. Guy off his motorbike at 4am lying in the road and a pissed guy who stepped in front of a car and went flying.

Twice. Once when my neighbour was assaulted by her boyfriend, once when I saw someone getting beaten up on a night out.

Dozens 😁 but I'm an ex copper and tend to know what needs called in / am a nosy twat / get asked by neighbours to deal with things for them...

Neighbours in two houses had brutal domestic violence going on - called that in a lot. On one occasion I hear the man push her down the stairs with the baby in her arms. In another home, the woman was throwing plates and glasses at her boyfriend and broke his wrist when she slammed his arm in a door. I had several years of this across both homes....

Domestic abuse by another neighbour out the back a few years ago - he also tried to hit me. He was arrested for badly hurting her, injuring the dog by kicking it and multiple criminal damage where he smashed up several cars outside (which is how I ended up going to see what was happening).

Several suspected drink drivers.

A couple of nasty RTCs with injuries where I've stopped to help off duty.

Found a neighbour dead in his house last year. We hadn't seen him for 2 days, lights on etc. Postie raised the concern to a few of us.

Suspected violent child abuse by another neighbour recently who was on a safety plan (kid removed by social services shortly after).

Smoke from a huge bonfire on a farm making a motorway lethal with dark thick smoke.

Several to 999. Including a road rage incident where a driver cut off another driver making him stop - then pulled a huge wrench from his boot and started hitting the man's car...
Once in a car park packing my boot and a driver deliberately reversed at me...pulled away and did it again and again. Absolutely no idea why...
Ndn when they were assaulting their adult dc..
Exh when he tried to throw me downstairs.
And non emergency many times.

never

Never...I'm in my 60s

Just once. Neighbours having a fight, and their children absolutely hysterical. Can't ignore that kind of thing.

Three times: once when there were some suspicious characters outside and once when we were actually broken into. Police were out very quickly but then we were running a village post office and lived over the shop. DH once accidentally set off the panic button in the PO and two squad cars were there almost straight away - very impressive (and comforting)!

The third time was when I lived in London and there was a fantastic parrot 🦜 on our washing line. Figured someone might have reported it missing so made the call (101 wasn't a thing then). Got put straight through to Scotland Yard 😳

Twice both on the same neighbour, who thankfully got asked to leave the house they were renting.

they would have constant parties every night of the week and police were phoned as they had spilled out onto the street and there was a mass brawl!

Once when I heard a woman screaming outside my flat while a man was shouting at her. I couldn’t see them though, it was night, I hope she was ok.

Once.
A drunk driver who parked his smashed up car right outside our drive.
He was clearly intoxicated, I called the police after watching him for a minute. Dh went out and had words with him, police show up about 6 hours later….

A few times.

• When a man rammed my car, got out and then started pushing and shoving me around in the street and then got back in his car and drove off - they caught him six months later and it was worth the wait!

• When I saw a young woman sitting the wrong side of the railings on a high bridge - they came pretty much immediately

• When my friend had a complete mental breakdown and tried to kill herself - police and ambulance were there in minutes, she then attacked the policeman and was sectioned

• When a patient went missing from the ward, completely out of the blue and in terrible weather - patient was found within 10 minutes and found to have a raging UTI which had made her very confused

• When a patient under the influence of all manner of drugs came flying into my ward from A&E with a makeshift weapon, dragged old ladies out of their beds and then smashed the whole place up - he was arrested

• When I was driving through country lanes on my way to work at 6am and passed an entire flock of escaped sheep who had been very busy and spread themselves around the countryside a mile apart (about 30 of them!), only called the police for that one as they could have caused a very nasty accident! The call handler was very understanding of my reasons, thankfully

Have used the non emergency online reporting for a few things too, such as seeing someone’s car smashed into and the driver leaving the scene, and a very dangerous driver who tried to run me off the road on the motorway.