To expect the police to have done more?

[SeaSnake]

I have name changed for this so I don't out myself. I'll try and keep it short.

This afternoon, I looked out of the window and noticed two small groups of young men and women standing on the pavement opposite - they appeared to be having some kind of stand off and passers-by we're walking out into the road to get past them. One of the houses opposite has recently been rented out and the people who go in and out are a rough looking bunch. There are people in and out at all hours and some of them look like heroin addicts.

As I looked, a man in a track suit came running out of the house and attacked one of the men. He threw him into the road (it's a busy main road so cars were stopping and swerving around) and started bashing the victims head into the road. Whilst dialling 999, I banged on the window and shouted (actually, I screamed like a fishwife!): "Cut it out I've called the police". I then took several photos of the incident on my mobile (I was calling police on my landline).

The perpetrator and his friends headed back into the house. The victims friends helped him away down the road. A police car arrived at the house opposite. The policeman knocked on the door, had a brief chat with a woman who opened the door and then he got in the car and drive off.

The policewoman who had taken details from me had told me that the police would call to look at the photos on my phone. This didn't happen.

It was a very violent incident and I was physically shaking after I witnessed it. I have two young children, luckily neither of them were in the room. If we had been walking up the road when that happened, my Ds would have been terrified.

I called our local area police line to ask what had happened and if the police would be contacting me. I spoke to an extremely abrupt young woman who said "the police attended the incident and couldn't find a victim so the case is closed". I asked "is that it? There's nothing else they can do?" and she replied "without a victim who wants to make a complaint, there's nothing more they can do".

AIBU to feel furious with this response?! It was a violent attack in the middle of a road which caused a serious risk to motorists. I have photos of both the victim and the man who attacked him. There are stopped cars in my photos with visible number plates. Surely the police could do more?

My DH said it's probably a group of drug dealers fighting amongst themselves and that the police don't care so I shouldn't either. However, I do care! I live here with my children and I feel so furious that I would like to go and knock on the door and tell that man how unacceptable his behaviour was. Even if the victim doesn't want to complain (apparently the police car have a 'drive around' and couldn't see him) I still feel that the police should care about that sort of behaviour. The woman I spoke to clearly didn't give a shit and she sounded completely bored.

We do not live in a 'rough' area and at this time of year the police cannot be especially busy, so they could have tried a bit harder to find the man who was attacked. Looking at the photo on my phone may have helped. I still feel upset by the whole incident and wonder if I am over-reacting.

Sorry for the typos, I'm still a bit stressed :-/

They should have looked at the photos. I don't think you are being unreasonable but am not sure what they could have done if it had all stopped and there wasn't a victim to press charges. I would really not like to have people like that living opposite me.

As above really. They could probably tell from calling at the house that they weren't going to get a conviction from it, and so wrote it off.

Not a nice thing to witness though.

i think you are right OP. the assault happened in boradd daylight on abusy street. it has affected more than just the victim and i think the police have a duty to protect all the people in the area and not just the one person who was physically hurt. i know with DV cases, the victim doesn't have to press charges anymore for the police to prosecute. i wonder if this is the same with non domestic assaults. does anyone know? your photos are evidence.

YANBU - although the victim hasn't come forward to make a complaint, the police should have come and looked at the photos you've taken as it is evidence of anti-social behaviour at least and might be useful if the people in this property continue along the same lines (I hope they don't, for your sake).

A crime was commited even if no victim has come forward and I think you have every right to be furious with the attitude of the second operator. You've witnessed a horrible incident and the police should have followed up on looking at the photos and reassuring you that they are taking an interest in violent incidents like this.

The police can only follow the law and so if the "victim" will not press charges, there is presumably nothing under the law that they can do. I guess they could say no, you didn't walk into a door and arrest them but it would only take up police time as no further action could be taken once passed to the courts.

No victim no crime. Also, by calling at your house it would make it more obvious who had made the call. I know you shouted out of the window, but really, I would hesitate to draw attention to the fact that you reported it. I don't think you could have done any more, but I really wouldn't draw attention to your house if you ever need to call them again. She shouldn't have been abrupt with you though.

I've just spoken to DH who's a special constable and he thinks that if you rang the police and said that you had witnessed an assault and you want to make a complaint, that you have photo evidence on your mobile and are willing to make a statement.

Just quickly searched online and the CPS say "The police take all crime seriously; you can expect them to listen to you, treat you with respect and take a statement."

The police probably won't take a statement - but, I know that witnessing violent incidents can really set you on edge for ages, and you have a right to know that the police are taking this seriously.

If the victim wanted to press charges, they would've. Chances are that they found him and he denied he was there. Which, if drugs were involved, is common. If they know he is the victim but he refuses to come forward and or admit he is a victim. Then the police can do no more and it would waste time and money to do so. If you banged on the window and said you called the police, you have 'outed' yourself.

In our area, domestic violence, crimes against children or murder are the only crimes which are pursued without victim cooperation.

It would be impossible to get a conviction against the suspect without the victim in the situation you described, thank you CPS, so your police service would be wasting time & resources to pursue it.
I've known of proper serious assault cases that fall apart just before they make it to court because the victim retracts statements.

Given the circumstances (it looks like they're selling drugs from their home and you're worried for your family), it would be worth just letting the local Safer Neighbourhood team know, they should have an email address on your Police Service website, in a few days that you're still concerned as the tennents are still being anti-social etc etc.

but surely there is more than just the victim who can press charges. cant the police press charges for public disorder or affray (sp) or antisocial behaviour? if the victim had thrown a punch back it would have been a fight in a public street and the police wouldn't have needed either party to press charges to make arrests. why cant they make an arrest based on OP's evidence and statement?

I feel so furious that I would like to go and knock on the door and tell that man how unacceptable his behaviour was

Not a good idea OP. You could end up being the next victim. Really not worth it.

Thank you for your replies. Looking at it more rationally (and after a glass of wine), I can see there isn't much the police can actually do. The attitude of the second operator made me most angry.

If someone from the local police team had called me back and thanked me for reporting the incident, apologised for not being able to do more, given me some reassurance about what to do if it happened again etc. then I think that would have been more polite service from the police.

I appreciate that bellowing out of the window may not have been the most sensible course of action (my DH did point this out to me) but in the moment I was most concerned for the safety of the young man being attacked. After I shouted, some of the others stepped it and started to break up the fight. The victim ran onto my driveway and then his friends came and got him (the others had all gone back into the house). I've always been slightly hot headed bit since having children this has increased when i see a person hurt or in danger as I look at an incident like that and think "that man is someone's son".

Not long ago, I was in the town centre when I saw a teenage schoolboy being bullied by a little gang of boys (one of them had another pinned up by the throat) and I marched over. My DH was very annoyed when I told him about that and made me promise to mind my own business in future. I suppose there's a line between helping others and protecting yourself.

Luckily, the road I live on is quite wide and all the houses have long driveways so we're not especially close to the neighbours and I don't see them often. I did have a moment of panic when I wondered if I might get a brick through the window... DH reassured me that they will probably have forgotten the whole incident tomorrow as it's probably everyday life to them. I'll kept my fingers crossed and keep a lower profile if I see any similar incidents in future. I hope I don't!