To feel bad for calling 999?

[littlemissymuppetty]

So, I have alcoholic neighbours. Or at least neighbours that drink a lot of alcohol.
They are retired and weekends especially they start drinking after lunch and get steadily louder and louder until about 7pm they will be hollering at each other in the garden.
Tonight’s row went on for 90 minutes. He was screaming and screaming about how he “pays the fucking bills” and “you need to learn to shut your fucking mouth”
It’s so loud that even when they go inside their detached house with their windows and doors shut I can still hear raised voices.
It’s right under my kids bedroom window when they’re trying to sleep.
This happens every single weekend without fail. Sometime week nights too.
Anyway, I’ve been advised to call the police each time (although I’ll admit that I only tend to call when it’s a prolonged argument or I hear things that worry me, like threats of violence)
Anyway, tonight the call handler said “are you sure they’re not just having an every day row that people have? As we won’t send a car out if it’s just an every day row”
Now I feel bad for calling. It probably is an every day row for them, but when it’s going on for hours and in their garden with awful language should I not be calling the police?

No don't feel bad at all. Noisy neighbours wreak havoc on your life and people do not understand how.much it effects you until they go through it themselves.

My response would have been yes its the same argument they have EVERYDAY at the volume Everyday with the dame threats of violence everyday

I have rang about my ndn 3 times on 999 over a 2 year period.
Do it op.

I would think it's a 101 call rather than 999 unless there's threats being made. A noisy argument isn't an emergency.

Apparently if it’s a domestic they HAVE to send a car out, whether you call 999 or 101.

I can see it from both point of views tbh. It's scary when neighbours are screaming and shouting for hours. For the police they probably have better things to do and probably get called to a lot of arguments where people are just arguing and there's not a lot that the police can do.

I don’t blame you but it doesn’t sound like an emergency situation. Certainly keep a log and report to 101 but unless you fear violence it probably futile.

I feel for you though.

Maybe report them to environmental health at your council, so they can give them an asbo. It's not really a police thing if they're just shouting and swearing and rowing in their own house, it's practically their hobby by the sound of it. Just because it's not a police matter doesn't make it nice for you to put up with though.

Describe specifics about it (threats, duration, volume, scared kids) and let them make the call?

Tell them "They do argue like this quite regularly but I have been advised to phone police every time."

And they always grade domestics as high priority. So even when I call 101 it still goes through to 999 🤷‍♀️
I just wish there was some way they could log it without having to send a car out.

Can you not use 101 instead of dialling 999?

To be honest, annoying as it is, unless there is violence or significant threat of violence then I wouldn't have thought it a 999 situation.

Sorry x post with you.

Contact environmental health regarding noise but otherwise, if you must ring the police then dial 101.

A car doesn't get sent to my neighbours. We log with 101, except the time he tried to run her over.

I think it depends on why you called

If you were genuinely worried for the safety of one/both of them then yes call without hesitation

If there are kids in the house then absolutely call 999 every single time.

If it’s because you are pissed off about the noise then call non emergency and/or log a noise issue with the council

Have you or other neighbours approached them directly out of interest?

Maybe it’s the policy in my force.
But yes, every single domestic, verbal or not needs a unit sending out.
It’s so hard, but if I report to environmental health then I won’t be able to do it anonymously. This means that when we sell our house in 6 months time due to my husbands job we will have to declare a neighbour dispute with solicitors.

Can you research on line and make contact with the Station. I'd try to speak to a local PCSO, hopefully meet and express your concerns that this is a very volatile domestic situation which impacts on yours and your children's lives in a really negative way and that you fear it will erupt into DV. This way they should note and advise rather than it disappearing into the call log.

Are you calling because you think it's a noise nuisance, or because you're concerned for one or other of their safety?

I’ve spoken to the neighbours on the other side of them who have never heard a peep, although we are directly next to them and the other neighbours are separated by a block of 2 garages, and it’s a fairly busy road which may mask the noise.

Will you not have to declare it anyway?

OP it sounds awful to live near these people.
I don’t really have any advice to be honest, I wouldn’t know what to do either.
Maybe a call to environmental health first thing Monday for some advice. Maybe record the arguing so you have evidence of it happening.

Both @minibroncs
Previously she’s been screaming “someone get help” when they’ve been fighting.
I’ve also heard him threaten to smack her on numerous occasions and I’ve heard her screaming like she’s in pain.
But also the noise is horrific. My kids are trying to sleep and all they can hear is screaming which scares my little girl, and foul language.

Sorry just read your update. As hard as it is I would grin and bear it until you move, does tv block out their noise, even on low so your kids don’t hear.
No point making your house harder to sell. If you feel their safety is at risk though ring the police.

If you think one of them is being violent at any point in time you should absolutely call 999.

If it's just noise you need to contact the council.

My neighbours have a CPN issued so they can no longer have swearing rows in their back garden. If they do, they can have an instant fine. It took a year to get, but has worked. My police force have a designated anti social behaviour officer who sorted it out. Good luck.

If you're thinking of moving then I'd grin and bear any noise element of it.

Threats of violence, actual violence, shouts for help etc - always 999. But only do it in those cases so that you can clearly state "he/she just threatened to xyz". Then you can't be accused of calling for a run of the mill argument.

Keep logging with 101. You shouldn’t call 999 unless you think someone’s life is in danger.