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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

I know am not but want to moan...police really p*$$£d me off this morning at 3.30am

56 replies

Curiousmama · 01/08/2010 06:47

I'm suffering from insomnia at the moment as going through house move and divorce. Both of which I'm ecstatic about but it's affecting my sleep.
So, this morning at 3am I heard a loud noise coming from the corner shop, next door. I look out and see 2 youths messing about with the big wheelie bin the shop has. They were throwing rubbish etc... then proceeded to try to wheel it uphill past my house! They were both palatic drunk and had what looked like bottles of cheap cider in the other hand. I kept an eye on them and rang the police. I also rang next door for a bit of moral support. Although my dog would've had them if they'd started.
Something must've startled them as they ended up leaving bin and running..if you can call it that...to the park over the road. When I went outside the smell of alcohol was still in the air and I could smell it on myself back in the house. The next thing a lone policeman arrived and I told him which direction they'd gone. He followed and whilst I was watching out of my window I saw them going through the park in other direction, so I rang 999 again and they said they'd tell police. After another 5 minutes the same policeman pulls up and starts moving the bin back. I said 'did you get them?' He said 'oh no they ran over the school field' Some dialogue continued with me shouting at him saying I could've caught them my self wearing a blindfold! He said they'd done their best I went in the shop this morning and told the owner (he hadn't been told) and he's going to show me cctv later. He was asleep upstairs and shocked he hadn't heard it. Next door heard me and said they were laughing their socks off.
I'm just so sick of this attitude. Ok so no harm was done really but it could've been. Plus they did damage to signs at the shop and no one told the owner?

OP posts:

purepurple · 01/08/2010 09:26

In some parts of the country wheelie bins have been set on fire and people have died in those fires.
Policing should be more about prevention, shouldn't it?
In that case, YANBU to call the police, although I probably would have called the local station and not 999.
YABU to call your neighbour at such an ungodly hour, but I can understand that you were probably scared and needed some human contact.

cupofcoffee · 01/08/2010 09:26

Think i'd be concerned enough to call police too (don't know about 999 might just have phoned the station) because there have been incidents where bins have been set fire to. Also there was a murder not too far away where body was put in the wheelie bin. I know the people the OP is talking about sound like they were messing around causing a nuisance rather than serious crime but I would not have been able to go back to sleep thinking they could pull the bin near my house and set light to it.

auntpolly · 01/08/2010 09:32

After reading this I realised I wasn't actually clear when you should call 999, other than needing an ambulance or fire brigade.
The below is from the Met police website. I think OP may have overreacted slightly, but I don't think it constitutes a criminal misuse of resources.

Incidents were you should dial 999:

Any incident where life is at risk
Where a serious injury may occur
Where a crime is in progress
Serious road incident
Fight or major disturbance
Young children missing
Suspicious activity or person loitering

BramblyHedge · 01/08/2010 10:09

We have been told by our local force to call 999 for serious anti-social behaviour and car vandalism which is in progress as otherwise they have no chance of catching them. This happens alot on our road and we have had to call 999 a few times - the call centre aren't daft - if they get two calls, one for a car being smashed in and one for a knifing it is obvious which one they will attend. They have a zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour and say there is no point reporting it the next day to the non-emergency number as it is too late.

BrightLightBrightLight · 01/08/2010 10:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nickschick · 01/08/2010 10:13

Zero tolerance is causing a lot of problems in my street - particularly when 2 of the neighbours are calling police upto 6x a day to report children playing on the park opposite.

Some people (like them) really abuse our policing system - so do you .

TotorosOcarina · 01/08/2010 10:14

Hahahahaha,

sorry but this made me laugh.

You rang the emergency police number because 2 drunk lads were playing with a bin?!

You should house swap with me, you would LOVE, it, we have REAL reasons to call the police weekly.

Like people kicking the shit out of each other in the street then speeding off in cars.

And even then we have the local police number written down.

fedupofnamechanging · 01/08/2010 10:17

I think it's nice that the policeman came back and moved the bin back to its rightful place. lol@'where do you live? trumpton?'

nbee84 · 01/08/2010 10:23

When I went outside the smell of alcohol was still in the air and I could smell it on myself back in the house.

edam · 01/08/2010 10:28

met advice on dialling 999 does say 'when a crime is in progress'. I wouldn't have bothered myself but hey. Btw, you'd be lucky if your local cop shop is manned 24 hours a day. Ours is open office hours only! And there was a case in London where a man was being chased and ran to the steps of the local station. Only it was unmanned and he was stabbed to death.

draftywindows · 01/08/2010 10:29

Anyone who watches Corrie knows that people intefering with wheelie bins should be treated with great suspicion.

Original poster

Curiousmama · 01/08/2010 10:30

Yes ok I know it does sound bonkers but they were chucking rubbish on a main road and to be honest I was scared they did have something in the bin or would set fire to it. Or worse put it on the road. The bin isn't household size it's huge and yes they maybe wouldn't of got far with it but they weren't doing bad for two pissheads.

My neighbour also called 999 and wasn't upset at me waking her, believe me she'd have told me!

Trumpton No not quite, lots of murders happen here sadly. I was worried they'd been in the store but they hadn't.

I don't think the police would've sent someone if they thought it was a waste. I once waited 6 hours with my friend when her and her son had been beaten up by her ex. So I would hope they'd make that a priority.

Agree you need to catch people doing this whilst it's happening.

I'm not a wimp but with kids in the house and dp on nights there was no way I was going to tackle them.

OP posts:

nikkidale · 01/08/2010 11:07

Check your local force's website - they will have a non-emergency number there. I dont think any forces allow you to dial the local station now, it is a 24-hr line where I am. Report it, by all means, but you are very irresponsible to have called 999 as there is a set time police have to respond to those calls otherwise people who look at figures without understanding the nature of the call will think that they ignored a potentially life-threatening situation.

BaggedandTagged · 01/08/2010 11:12

She is NOT being irresponsible. The police websites tell you to call 999 if a crime is in progress. Read the websites.

Criminal damage (to the shop sign) is a crime.

It is the job of the police dispatcher to decide if it's a priority or not. I'm sure if they'd had a multiple stabbing at the same time they wouldn't have sent the car.

I bet everyone here would have called 999 if said youths had been scratching their car instead of a shop sign.

serotoninbutterfly · 03/08/2010 23:58

But, if they had been called to this and there was a multiple stabbing, they would be delayed dealing with this rubbish. I have name-changed btw (nikkidale)

Poledra · 04/08/2010 00:10

DH went out one night to ask the drunk standing on our gas meter box smoking a cigarette to please move as it was not the best place to smoke (it is on our property, not the pavement). Upshot of this was I was woken by this man screaming abuse at DH, DH getting lamped upside the face, his glasses broken and then, when DH legged it back inside, the drunk tried to kick in our front door and smashed our livingroom window.

Yeah, going out and asking nicely really works.

Police, BTW, came as quickly as they could when I called 999 - but from too far away to catch him.

ginnny · 04/08/2010 00:25

You should live here! if I called 999 every time there were drunks outside up to no good on a Saturday night my phone would be red hot!
and if i'd woken my neighbour at 3am to tell her i'd be needing to dial 999 for an ambulance!

ginnny · 04/08/2010 00:25

SkiHorseWonAWean · 04/08/2010 03:53

I am laughing at you, not with you.

NotQuiteCockney · 04/08/2010 08:33

The 999 thing is a bit more complicated.

At least once, when I've had something stolen, (object gone, thief not in sight, nobody in personal danger) I've called the local station, only to be told I need to call 999 to report the crime.

ChippingIn · 04/08/2010 08:43

I agree - 999 (twice??) for an incident with a bin and calling your neighbours... barking. Give them 5 mins and they'd have staggered off - or you could have called the local number. So the operator didn't berate you - it doesn't mean it was a good decision. They came out because they have to. What exactly did you want the neighbour to do? Save these phone calls for when you really need them or you'll be like the boy who called wolf!!

Why is the shop owner going to show you the cctv - surely it will be fairly clear which bin will need to press charges

droves · 04/08/2010 08:46

Ive phoned thoe police to report local neds stealing my wheelie bin and setting it on fire.

But , it was the local stations number i called not 999.

Yanbu ,to report it..but Yabu to shout at the police because the couldnt catch them (they will think your a loon now , you know?)
and yabu to phone 999.

gorionine · 04/08/2010 08:49

I agree that this type of behaviour has to be stamped on! b
But as other posters have said, this is one for the local pol;ice station, not 999.

SouthDevonDelight · 04/08/2010 10:49

Both youths were "palatic" ????

And yes, you were being a bit unreasonable with your course of action (999 emergency line) - why don't you keep a note of the local station number close by for future use.

GypsyMoth · 04/08/2010 10:54

what pissed you off????

do you really expect the policeman to arrest 2 youths???

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