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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

kids left in car in car park/called Police

158 replies

Delilah21D00LoT · 24/08/2018 21:17

Just wondered if you would have called the police or 'turned a blind eye'.

Tuesday this took place:

12:55 DIY store car park two little boys (4 & 6 sitting in an unattended car when I came out of store.

So 15 mins later I went into store to ask for call out. Which they did to no result.

I Couldn't get through to Police on 101 but managed to get through on web chat.

13:25 blues and twos arrived.

13:40, Dad comes out of store and was very 'casual' tried to blame the kids by saying they didn't want to go into the shop 😡.

Police chaps also noticed that neither boys had car seats! To which the Dad went on about they usually use them, but due to his shift work he was too busy.

Police took my details and then I left them all to it and headed home.

Was I wrong to call the Police?

OP posts:
MarklahMarklah · 24/08/2018 21:19

Not at all.
Father is highly irresponsible, and hopefully this gave him a wake up call.

Original poster
Delilah21D00LoT · 24/08/2018 21:29

Thanks MM.

It occurred to me when I was driving home, that if he could leave them in this empty car - (and HUGE carpark - which cannot be seen inside the store BTW) then he could have done it before, and could again? Also, the same with the not using car seats..?

OP posts:
MrsMozart · 24/08/2018 21:30

Well done. You did the right thing.

Poodletip · 24/08/2018 21:41

YANBU he probably does it all the time.

DanSullivan · 24/08/2018 21:46

100% in the right.

Notagainmun · 24/08/2018 21:51

You did the right thing.

TheCakeCrusader · 24/08/2018 21:53

You did the right thing-Completely irresponsible parent leaving their children alone in a car for that period of time!

PrivateDoor · 24/08/2018 21:53

You did the right thing!

Gillian1980 · 24/08/2018 21:56

Yanbu, you did the right thing.

Dollymixture22 · 24/08/2018 21:56

They were too young to be alone in the car for that long. You did the right thing. No car seats - that’s really bad parenting for ones that small.

Cherrysherbet · 24/08/2018 21:57

You were spot on.

mumsastudent · 24/08/2018 21:58

those101 phone calls

CocoDeMoll · 24/08/2018 21:59

Quick nip into shop were you can see your car (in and out in under 5) fine. 15mins and not near the car. Not fine! YANBU.

LotsToThinkOf · 24/08/2018 21:59

YANBU, you did the right thing OP. And this is not the first time he has left them alone or not used car seats, guaranteed. Didn't have time to get the car seats due to shift work but had time to visit B&Q. Horrible parent.

TheVanguardSix · 24/08/2018 22:01

Oh of course you did the right thing! Absolutely!
Did you read about that mother in Moscow who left her 5 year old to die alone in the car while she attended a 2 hour job interview? Sad

nocoolnamesleft · 24/08/2018 22:03

So, even if he went in as you came out, they were left for 45 minutes? That sounds rather a long time for that age group. You gave it 15 mins and tried a store call. So calling the police next sounds sensible.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 24/08/2018 22:04

Ok agree nearly an hour is too long a time, and the kids were probably too young to be left in the car- car seats not ideal but seriously people need to calm down “horrible parent”- no he’s a lax parent.

BewareOfDragons · 24/08/2018 22:07

4 and 6 in a big car park where he'd been gone almost an hour before the police got there . YWNBU at all.

I hope he got cited for the lack of car seats too and a referral to SS for a long chat about inappropriate parenting.

formerbabe · 24/08/2018 22:11

It's not great and I don't leave my own dc in the car, but if I was walking through a car park and saw a 4 and 6 year old in a car, I would probably just walk on by unless they were distressed or it was a very hot day or a baby in the car. I can't get especially worked up by it. In the eighties, we were always left in the car or outside the pub/betting shop and we emerged unscathed! Like I said, I wouldn't do it but I'm not outraged by it.

justchangingagain · 24/08/2018 22:13

How times have changed, we always got left in the car without car seats as they weren't around then, didn't even have seat belts.

Wouldn't do it now.

marants · 24/08/2018 22:14

Karma. He leaves his kids, the police write him up for no car seats (£100 fixed penalty notice).

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 24/08/2018 22:15

It’s not karma if someone calls the police Hmm

SchadenfreudePersonified · 24/08/2018 22:18

You did exactly the right thing. Small children can die in cars; they can accidentally release brakes and cause accidents; they can be taken from vehicles by paedophiles; cars can burst into flames. All of these are unlikely, but all of them are possible. You did right.

Grilledaubergines · 24/08/2018 22:21

You absolutely did the right thing. He’s done this before, just didn’t get caught. I reported someone to Ikea security - young child locked in car. Security guy said above 8 years it wasn’t a problem, called to the little boy to ask how old and he replied 9, so said he couldn’t do anything. Mother sauntered over shortly afterwards. I don’t know if the security guy was correct or not but I felt better that I hadn’t ignored the little boy.

Echobelly · 24/08/2018 22:22

Yes, you did the right thing giving it time and then calling. I hope the dad actually gets advice rather than getting in trouble unless there are other reasons. We really don't know whether he's heartless or clueless at this stage.