To think that Sainsbury's security staff should have done "something!!!"

[MrsExpo]

I went shopping at our local Sainsbury's. It's a big store with a large car park and I pulled into a space somewhere in the middle of the parking area. As I got my bags out of the car I noticed the window of the next vehicle was slightly open and then - to my horror - the reason was that there was a small child in a child seat in the back of the car!! Child must have been maybe 18 months or so, wide awake but quiet. Mother nowhere to be seen, so presumably in the store shopping. I waited by the car for a few minutes to see if the mother was going to reappear, but she didn't. While I stood wondering what to do, the child began to cry not surprisingly!! I should day I was just standing by my car, not staring in at the child or anything. So, I went into the store and reported it to the store security staff, who essentially said "not our problem" ...!! They refused to put out an announcement (I provided the car make and reg number), wouldn't send someone out to the car park or do anything about this at all.

AIBU to think 1) the mother behaved disgracefully(illegally??) to leave a small child like this and 2) the store security staff should have at least tried to alert the child's parent. I was in two minds about calling the police but really don't know what I should have done tbh .....

As it happens, when I returned from my shopping I saw the car being driven way by a woman, which means the child must have been alone in the vehicle for around 25 minutes

You were so worried that after the security guard did nothing you went and did your shopping? Without ringing the police, speaking to customer services, etc? Can't really claim to be much better than the child's parent then, can you?

Ffs people, mother, father, f'ing Aunty! That is not the point of the post!

I couldn't agree more Billy. I would've waited a few minutes and called the police. Even leaving a baby alone inside a car for 10 minutes is too much! And even if it's 18 outside, it's much warmer inside the car (as my DC complain to me every day!)

I don't think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. I'm sure someone got arrested for leaving a child in a car just nipping to the shop. If DH is to be believed, it was 20 degrees out. So it'd be a lot hotter in the car.

Sainsbury's is getting some plugging the last few days

And when/if the police arrive and the car owner and toddler are long gone? What then?

I'm going to switch supermarkets.

Tesco is very dull these days.

Most security guards are employed by security companies and not the stores that they work in, which is why they don't do tannoys and likely have no idea if there's a safeguarding person in the store. Some of them work in different places every day.

You are not wrong Fairytales.

Well I quite agree that the baby should not have been left alone in the car for a prolonged period like that.

However, I am not sure what good an announcement over the supermarket tannoy would do. After all, it is unlikely the parent left the child there in a fit of absent mindedness and would then go "OMG! I knew I had forgotten something" and go hurrying back. More likely it would be "Yeah I know I will only be a minute"

I contacted the sports centre reception about a dog left in a car yesterday (car wasn't in the shade, window ajar. Dog agitated). They (who won't rally themselves for left on lights) actually checked records went to an exercise class and told the woman to sort out the dog.
A child shouldn't be left alone like that in a situation where you cannot anticipate what might happen etc.

This comes up regularly and in the past people who've worked on 999 switchboards/for the police have said that you should call the police if you're concerned and they will treat it as a priority.

It always reminds me of my brother and sister-in-law's first childminder, who had a toddler and a baby of her own and looked after my nephew as well. At pickup time she said something about having been to the supermarket that afternoon and my sil said 'Wow, with all three kids! How did you manage that?' 'Oh', said the stbxcm, 'they were all asleep so I just left them in the car...'

"Yes, chances were the parent was going to return in time for the child to be OK. But there are also times when parents forget children are with them. I think I'd take accusations of melodrama if it meant potentially saving a child from serious harm."

I don't even understand this gabilan. How does talking about it on a Internet forum (in a melodramatic manner) save a child from serious harm?

(This happens all the time btw. Twice in the last month in my small town if the local FB is to be believed. It's not that dramatic)

18 month old left alone in a car and everyone focuses on the fact that the OP made an assumption about who left them there

I would have waited a few mins and then phoned the police if it seemed like no one was coming straight back. The police take it pretty seriously.

Next time be more proactive. If you think something isn't right, take action yourself.

How many children have come to serious harm as a result of being strapped in a car seat and left unattended? What serious harm is going to befall them, exactly?

Maybe the mother was putting the trolley back? Or fetching one? What felt like 5 minutes to you just standing there might only have been 1 minute as time moves very slowly when you are just standing waiting. So 1 minute feels like ages.

The fact you went and did your shopping means you didn't actually judge the situation that serious anyway.

Crumbs1 you can't seriously be asking that, can you?

OP phone the police now, you witnessed neglet - they can chase it up. For all you know it could be the tip of the iceberg that gets that poor child the care it needs. Fuck leaving a toddler in a car to go shopping. Thats a bloody disgrace. Poor thing. There will be CCTV.

Please phone the police 101 now and give over details. Then you can rest easy you have done your part.

Personally I think I'd immediately have assumed the child had been left in the car by their father - which I know is just as sexist. (But my twat ex confessed to doing it.)

Maybe the problem with a security call is that they run the risk of announcing to the whole supermarket - "Hey - there's a lone toddler in a car in the car park!" It's very unlikely an opportunistic deviant would get to them before the owner of the car, but it's also not 100% impossible.

Crumbs they can die from the heat. Google it. It is horrific.

Yes our temperatures don't reach the same highs as elsewhere in the world, but the windows in the car magnify it. And if the child is wearing layers they can't exactly strip can they, so that could make it worse.

heatkills.org/how-hot/

Hopefully that'll be a clicky link, and it's annoyingly in farenheit, but basically the outside temp can be around 20c and in an hour or so it could be 40c inside the car.

I can't believe you are getting grief for this OP! A child of that age should not be left in a car alone. Ever!! You were right to be concerned, and I can't believe Sainsburys didn't at least put an announcement out. I would follow this up with a 101 call if I were you. Who cares if it was the mother, father or childminder! If someone left my child in a car while they went shopping, I would want to know!

Crumbs, I have a certain model of car which has recently been recalled due to instances of spontaneously catching fire. Tell me how an 18 month old unstraps themselves and gets out of the car safely in that instance???

Actually who cares if the poster is trolling. It's a fucking odd thing to troll about on a Thursday evening, but whatever floats people's boats!

Whatever the motives of the OP, lots of people do leave children in cars, and it is dangerous, so it's worthwhile having a thread about it.

Mmm