To call the police about creepy car on street

[sianais]

Hi all,

Hoping there's someone up who can make me feel a little better. Basically for the last few nights a black Mercedes has been pulling up on the street with a direct view into my upstairs window (full length, curtains always open). Always after midnight. It sits there for around an hour sometimes more, sidelights on and no interior lights (occupants not even having phone screens on which light their faces...) but definitely people inside.

When this happened a few nights ago I saw the reflection of something pointed at my house as a car drove past - looks like a camera lens or similar. I called the police, they sent someone to drive by but they left without speaking to the car. 20 minutes ish later someone left the car, walked across the car park behind my house to another street. The car pulled off a little later.

I assumed it was a couples liaison or something and that I was imagining the lens reflection. It's been here for the last couple nights but I ignored it. Tonight I saw the reflection of something again and watched the drivers side occupant scratch their face clearly holding something and body positioned towards my house. Called police again and shut my curtains. Around 5 minutes later the car pulled away.

Am I being paranoid, or am I being watched?! Sitting here telling myself both things alternately. I live alone with my 3 year old daughter for context.

As a slight aside complete derail of the thread you can get cakes, milkshakes and pick n mix delivered here up until 2am. It's about the only justifiable reason to live in this town.

OP call it in every time you see the car. Hopefully innocent, but you can't be too careful.

As another poster suggested - Have a word with your neighbours. The car may well be parked outside your house but it could be a neighbour they’re actually watching and have a good vantage point from outside your property.
Plus if the car occupants are aware that there are a few of you looking out at them they’ll realise they’ve been rumbled.

Also find out if there’s a local neighbourhood watch group. Report suspicious car to them. Possibly others have spotted it too.

You could also ask your landlord to fit sensor lights so if they do get within x distance of your home they’ll be spotted.

One of the smart doorbells could be handy too as they can be set to start recording before anyone actually rings the bell. And put a sticker in one of your windows warning that CCTV is in operation at all times. They don’t know you don’t have a camera.

Dwp?

If you have three floors, can they actually see in to your bedroom?

If it happened again I'd call the police and ask them to ask the car occupants what they are doing.

Possible non worrying reasons - someone using your Wifi (this happens a lot with a friend who often has cars outside). Frequent hub password changes sorted that out. Scoping the house/road as prospective buyer. Undercover - I have called the police about vehicle behaving oddly to find it was a drugs undercover operation and van full of police on observation post (not of me). In case of less innocent reasons keep a list of when it’s been there, report to police each time you are worried and get an alarm. Ask police to attend and speak to occupants if possible. Make it clear that is your request when phoning in that you are worried. Good sign it is a registered vehicle. Try not to worry too much. They seem so obvious it is either nothing to do with you (particularly if you can’t think of any reason triggering intimidating behaviour directed at you) or they need to be spoken to. Wouldn’t personally suggest speaking to them yourself unless in safe situation.

I'd be creeped out as well OP - it could be that it's not you that are watching and/or it is entirely innocent but it does sound odd and I would be unnerved.

Definitely contact police again if they come back and ask them to come round to look into it.

Other things you could do just to help to ease your mind:

Speak to your neighbours - if they are not already aware as if the car occupants realise more people have seen them they may disappear.

Do you have a friend /relative you can ask round for a night or two to give the impression you are not living alone?

Speak to landlord about security lights/alarm.

I hope that go soon!

If they were watching your house wouldn't they be more discreet? Maybe they're watching a house nearby? I'd take down the plates and report to the non emergency police.

I think more likely somebody is having an affair and waiting around the corner until their lover is ready to be picked up (maybe waiting for a partner to fall asleep so they can sneak out?)

Or might be an unmarked police car or CID investigation?

If it's undercover police they need a bit more training lol !

Disconcerting OP for sure. Have you lived there long? I do think the police should try and reassure you more especially why they drove past but didn't speak to car occupant(s)

If they are watchers, they're doing it to intimidate someone, because the same car in the same place is just not discreet enough for covert surveillance. After all, if you've clocked them, so might the target.

Though the actions of the police suggest otherwise - as they did not approach the car, the only thing they can have done is get some info from the VRN (which might flag that it's an undercover car)

I'd go back to the police and say younare increasingly concerned, and see what they say.

And consider getting one of those blinds that go up from the bottom of a window, so you can still see the stars, but covering the lower part of a long window makes it hard/impossibketo get the angle to,see in from outside.

If you don’t have security lights already, you can get some that are super easy to fix. They just stick on and they are really bright.

Also you can borrow my puppy who has just decided to start barking at everything.

I hope the police will be some help.

Around here we get loads of taxis waiting for their next call. The posher ones are mercs etc (well they’re not taxis- like executive cars and whatnot) and don’t have branding. They sit around for hours sometimes. I know it doesn’t explain them having something up to their face but it was my first thought.

It could actually be an undercover Police Car doing surveillance, or on the look out for Burglars. Not uncommon for them to do this.

That's exactly what it was when I called the police about a suspicious car. There had been a spate of burglaries, they knew who was doing it, but hadn't been able to pin anything on them. They set up surveillance on the route from their homes to the area where they were on the rob.

The police thanked me for my vigilance and asked me to keep it to myself!

It sounds like police to me. But do you have a high value car OP? If so be very careful where you leave your keys and handbag at night.

Dvla will give you owner details for a fiver.

1- note the Rev
2- phone he police again or every time it happens ( you can also text police)
3- get CCTV and lights that go up every time something goes past
4- take photos of the car

About ten years ago the same thing was happening to me. Dark coloured BMW, except it was opposite my house several times day and night and either one or two guys appearing to watch my house. At the time I was a carer for a family member and self employed around that care so I was in and out quite irregularly. When I’d leave the house, it would be clear to me that I was being watched. One of the men actually looked at me and smirked when I was leaving the house. It went on for about 3 weeks. I was in my early twenties and had a history of being stalked and my father had a past history of being threatened and blackmailed so I was pretty scared.

I reported it to the police and eventually the lady pointedly said “it could be an undercover police surveillance car but I wouldn’t be able to go into details.”

I never saw the car again! It could only have been my house they were watching due to the layout of our street and the fact our immediate neighbours were very elderly. There was nothing suspicious about my family or I who are all law abiding citizens so I often wonder why our house was being watched. Also, they weren’t great at being “undercover”!

Hope you get it sorted OP and that it’s just a case of it being police.

If the OP phones the Police again with her concerns they can check the car and if it's an unmarked Police car they'll either tell her that or reassure her there's nothing to worry about. If it's just a car registered to a member of the public they can then contact them and find out what they're playing at

Hi guys, just an update - thank you all for your concern and suggestions. The police called me today, they are concerned and agree it isn't normal behaviour (which from your stories seems to rule out police surveillance). I agree if they are surveillance they need better training!

They have added my street to their regular route and will be cruising by in the hopes that added police presence will deter any dodgy dealings. He said while it doesn't sound innocent they don't know what the car is up to and they will be keeping an eye out. They recommended keeping all doors etc locked just in case.

I agree about possible affair... just wish they'd conduct it elsewhere! Early night in bed so won't see them tonight.

Hope you manage to work out what the car is playing at?

Do you have Uber in your area? If you switch on the app you may see a car positioned on your street?

Oh god, this is so spooky! It would freak me out too OP, but hopefully the police will deter them from coming back. They could be watching your neighbours. maybe a PI? Would there be anybody who would hire a private investigator in your life? Have you seen the car at all in your everyday life?

You said you have a DC, could the DC's dad be trying to make sure you aren't having anybody round late at night?

I hope so lexi! They could be for the neighbours... nothing particularly noteworthy in my life. I have been keeping my eyes open as my job takes me around the town quite a lot in the daytime, see if I can spot the car in the daylight.

DC's dad and I are fairly amicable and he doesn't drive (or have any money for a PI! ) so doubt there's a connection.

Still keep turning theories over in my head- if it's an affair why haven't I ever seen internal lights, even a phone screen? If it's not an affair are they just terrible investigators? If they're criminals casing up my house they will find VERY little of value... my NDN is much better off than me although where car parks you couldn't see their house anyway.

Neverplayleapfrog, no uber in my area unfortunately, a bit too in the sticks for that. Could be a taxi as pp has suggested although their customer would be racking up a large fee each night given the length of time they're both in the car for!

Have you got some binoculars you can peer back at them through?

Definitely install a security camera - they're quite cheap nowadays. Do you have security lights at the front of your house? You should see if your landlord will install those for you. Talking of landlord - if somebody has hired a PI to investigate your landlord then they might have found your house as a connection to them so maybe they are looking out for that?

...I may be starting to sound paranoid on your behalf now.

Tired, no but I kind of want some now... my friend has also suggested getting some.