Would you report someone for smoking with their child in the car?

[JigglyTuff]

Just walked past a woman waiting in her car for infant school gates to open. There was a child in the front seat. She was blowing her smoke out the window and I looked round because I could smell it and wondered where it was coming from.

Or should I just mind my own business?

I'd be interested to find know how many of the people who say they wouldn't report it are actually smokers themselves!

My guess is none. Those of us intelligent to know how law and policing works are probably too clever to smoke as well. It's a low bar in fact but so many can't reach it.....

Fuck no I would not report it. Do people really take such an interest in other peoples lives to this level? Like really what would be the outcome of reporting it? I'm not a smoker btw but I can't imagine reporting a mother for smoking out her window. Fine it's illegal both so is the right hand turn I take every morning going to work and if I get caught by a police man fair enough I will take the hit.

Where is the thread about the SIL and texting?

Intelligent because you know how law and policing work? A few of the police officers in my area know my name, and not because I've done anything wrong. I helped search for a missing girl once. I got involved with the heroin abuse epidemic that was happening down our canals.

The police are actually very grateful for reports. We'll all aware that things are tight in the current climate. I've spent ages on the phone to the police before, and I've had them round. Too many people are in a rush to claim that one way of doing things fits all.

The police are actually very grateful for reports

Of random unknown people smoking in cars? I can assure you they are not!
I imagine you are on a list if you make such reports. Not the one you think you are though.

Who would you even report this to? And what would they do about it with no proof?
Smoking with a child in the car is not good, I don't think anyone would argue with that, but ultimately the adult knows the risks (damaging child's health and getting fined) and is choosing to do it anyway and if they are prepared to risk it, there's probably little anyone can do until the off chance that being caught by someone who has the authority to issue the fine occurrs.

If they smoke in their car they also probably smoke in their house around their child too, so ecen if you do report it, it's unlikely to change much in the grander scheme of things.

I say this as a smoker who does not smoke indoors or in my car with my child and haven't done even before the fines were introduced.

You would report someone using their phone in the car so why not this?

No I wouldn't. Who would do that?

Er...pretty much everyone, I hope! It's a regular cause of needless accidents, including fatalities.

I wouldn't report someone smoking in their own car though - must admit I didn't even know that was illegal.

Stop taking it literally. I haven't reported any parent smoking in a car with a child because I haven't personally seen it happen for years. If I was the OP, I definitely would.

I have years of experience in the public sector. We're all aware that the police and social services are suffering. However, if you report something like that, which is illegal, that could flag up a parent who is already known to the police and social services for previous incidents.

If I was the OP, I definitely would

Please don't. They will not thank you. It will not flag up with social services. It will be filed under the "busybody tattle tale" heading and ignored.

phylis It's going to flag up no such thing. A call taker will say "Err thanks for letting us know" and the call will get written off. The police aren't going to go to all the trouble of pnc'ing a car, go to the registered keeper and ask who the driver was at that time (won't have any powers to demand the name of the driver as it is not a road traffic offence, if my memory serves me) and then find the driver and give her a warning.

Not going to happen I'm afraid! Unless the reporter is willing to provide a statement and possibly attend court then they might make efforts to trace them.

As a former cop, I can tell you that a call of this nature would be logged, but afterwards the vibe would very much be "For Fucks sake"

or maybe a lot of laughing and eye rolling, depending on the current mood

The Police are already stretched. Let it go.

You seem to know a lot about what the police/SS think. Do you work in this sector?

I would worry that it's part of a bigger problem. Someone these days who smokes in a car with a little one next to them is doing something very odd and knowingly harmful. I would probably ignore it the once but if I saw it or something else that parent did that was neglectful or harmful I would think about letting the school know through an anonymous email.

I'd take the reg, her description, maybe even a photo and report it to the local police. I'd tell her I was too.

It's not a small thing to smoke around a child imo. You'd have to live under a rock not to know about the chemicals and asthma issues. That's why I think it would be symptomatic of a bigger neglect issue.

nachogazpacho, that is exactly what I was thinking, but was too scared to say. Flagging it up, and then if they're known for other stuff, it just further backs up the point.

FrenchMartiniTime, not sure if that was aimed at me or one of the others? I've worked in HR within the public sector for years. I only know the police and social services through my own experiences.

Huskylover1, that's a very different attitude to the policing that I know of and how they handle things. Maybe it's a good thing you're an ex cop.

Also if police think it's ridiculous then why is there a law about it in the first place? I hope the police are enforcing it somehow. It's a bit of a worry that they might think it's a laughing matter. If someone doesn't care about their child's health then a fine is the only thing that might stop them harming their child's health.

The police didn't pass the law, government did. Enforcing it is an entirely different issue.

There's obviously discrepancies between different areas, but lets not put off the OP from reporting because some people in here have police forces that are too stretched.

I've had the police around for all sorts. Someone broke into my backdoor, took my handbag and ran. The police came around, it wasn't a robbery that was just logged down with a number. I've known the police to come around to neighbours houses because of bicycle theft too!

phylis Those are totally different to someone smoking in a car, surely you can see that. It was theft!

PhyllisNights

We have called the police for thefts of bikes and alloy wheels. The police came around and gave us a crime number and that was it. We stopped reporting anything after that because there didn't seem much point.

As huskylover says it will be logged and that's about it.

I'm bringing up theft as an example because people in here were earlier saying that the police in their areas weren't dealing with theft.

No one is firing up the pitchforks and wanting to go after the mother. I feel sorry for the child that has to breath in second hand smoke and walk around with their hair and clothes smelling. It just really upsets me that in 2017 there is a mother out there that cares more about getting her nicotine fix in convenience than the health and comfort of her child.

Phyllis - sorry that wasn't for you it was for user(lots of numbers)