To be stressed out about having my door kicked in - Any police around please (welfare check query)

[theatredame]

Have NC

We live in a flat with a shared front door, there are only two flats. My neighbour has mental health and dependency issues (she is open about this) but is generally no bother. I have had run ins with her but this has been at times when the drugs have been 'speaking' but she has threatened me on these occassions although later apologised.

My problem is that she sees a support worker on a weekly basis but frequently cannot cope and disappears to friends for weeks on end and then she will come back and live here. Each time she does this triggers a welfare check. This involves the police coming to the house looking for her often booting the door in the early hours of the morning until I get up which is terrifying as both a single Mum for me and dd who has SN.

Anyway this time she has been gone at least seven months, she is coming back once ever couple of months for post but that is it and this is decreasing. Last time I saw her she said a friend of hers is unwell and she was helping her.

In the last few weeks the dependency support team have been visiting the house and pushing a note asking her to call them through the door, they are coming back next week according to the note. I haven't spoken to them.

The biggest problem is that if I tell them she is not here at the moment they are going to ask me to tell her to get in touch when she is and I haven't seen her for months so it could be months, It could also cause chaos as I know she doesn't work and she has been open about claiming benefits. As far as the landlord is concerned she still lives here. I know it is wrong for her to claim housing benefit while not living here but I do not want to be the one to drop her in it and still have to live here sharing a hall given she is unstable and has previously threatened me but neither do I want to ignore the support worker who will inevitably call the police to do a welfare check.

I have no contact number for her at all.

I am terrified that I will come back from work or a day out to find our door booted in by police and not be able to get in :(

Does anyone know if the police are likely to break in on a welfare check if I am not in when they come?

Only if they had reason to believe she was actually inside and in danger/hurt would they break the door. Have you considered just letting the relevant people know that she's not there? I know you said you didn't want to but you could ask that they didn't say the info came from you. It would save a lot of stress for you and wasted time for the support worker and police.

I am scared of doing so, as I have mentioned she has threatened me before, she isn' t stable and she has been in prison (no idea what for though). She has been missing six months before but always come back, no one has any method of contact for her (I know that because landlord has asked me before) and she doesn't know anyone locally (she moved here to live with a now deceased relative) so what would likely happen is she would come back to live here unaware the landlord had taken the flat back, she would be able to get in the bottom door as I doubt the landlord would change the lock so she would get back to find either someone in her actual flat or not be able to get in her flat and it be empty and it would be obvious it would have come from me.

When the police have been before I have obviously told them I haven't seen her but the last time she had actually come back a couple of weeks before and then gone again.

If she has people looking for her they aren't just going to give up. I think you need to call them and just tell them what you know. Also tell them your fears. If they can't contact her and don't hear that she's not there they are far more likely to kick the doors in trying to find her.

It's not that they won't discover she isn't there and the first thing they will do once they do is then ask you if you know anything. By not saying anything you are just delaying everything. They aren't monsters so please just tell them what you know and your fears.

She sound very messed up and vulnerable and lets face it She could be in a ditch somewhere or in dire need If help and if they are still looking at home they aren't looking where she might actually be.

Yes, she's very vunerable, but what about you, OP? You're living next to someone who has threatened you and sounds extremely unstable, terrified of having your door kicked while caring for a DD with SN - have you spoken to your housing authority and asked for help in finding somewhere more suitable? You shouldn't have to live with this anxiety.

I have been on the waiting for council property since leaving exh years ago We ended up in a one bed flat because we weren't priority despite being 'technically' homeless at the time. (had to go to relatives) and I cannot afford to move.

OP you sound lovely, you have tried to understand this person's issues and have forgiven her for threatening you. I would contact your social worker(assuming you have one due to your child's SN) and have them write to your local authorities recommending they speed up rehousing you x

There's no reason for them to put your door in. It's not something that's done unless there's genuine concern for someone. If you're not in when they come they won't give it a second thought. They certainly won't go kicking random doors in that's for sure

I'd have thought it would be unreasonable behaviour from the police if they put your door in. Looking for someone in a next door flat would not justify that. It might be useful to explain to the local police why exactly you'd like them to NOT 'boot' your door in the middle of the night. Have the police actually damaged your door. OP?

Sorry just to be clear the main from door of the house is shared between myself and my neighbour (converted house)

No damage to door. Up to now when the police have come (it was a regular occurrence when she lived here but was disappearing every couple of weeks) they have hammered heavily until we have heard them.

Im more worried that I am going to come back from work to find the door boarded up tbh!

*front

I'd report the fact that the woman isn't living at the flat. If she isn't using the flat then I'm sure somebody else who genuinely needs it would live to have it.

You dont owe her anything.