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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think we shouldn’t still be waiting for the police?

278 replies

Shoeshow · 29/12/2019 18:53

4.45am this morning a car crashed through my front fence, hitting both our cars (parked on the road) in the process. The driver got out and ran away. We called the Police who said they would be out to us in an hour.

While waiting for them to arrive, at 6.30am, the driver/friend of the driver came back to try and get their car - we go outside and they run away again, locking their car as they do so. (Relevant as probably means it’s not stolen)

Police arrive around 10, have a look at the scene but are then called out to a more urgent job so leave. They were here a total of around 3 minutes, didn’t take any details and told us to go to the police station to complete a statement form, which we have done.

That’s it. Nothing else since.

The car is still in our front garden, smashed fence and car debris is all over the pavement and our car insurance won’t start the ball rolling until they know details of the other driver / if it is a stolen vehicle etc.

AIBU to think the car should have been recovered by now? We are worried they are going to try and come back to get their car in the night - and the only way they would succeed is by causing more damage to our fence and the cars (as they are blocking it in)

What are we suppose to do?

OP posts:
Icanflyhigh · 29/12/2019 22:08

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
Shoeshow · 29/12/2019 22:08

@eveshopper and I haven’t said we are going to.

OP posts:
DowntownAbby · 29/12/2019 22:09

@Twillow

No one gives a shiny shit about your childish whinging.

OP is trying to sort out a serious matter, not start an argument about treasury funding.

OP, will the recovery truck be able to remove the car from its current position without you moving your cars?

eveshopper · 29/12/2019 22:10

I don't know if you know what you pay your car insurance for but it is this very situation. You don't need to know the persons details. You give the registration to your insurer and they do the rest. You don't need any more details. Obviously having them is helpful, u as you don't know you let you insure do the job you pay them to do. Not for a clue why they are refusing to act without a crime number but I would suggest you change insurance company after this is sorted.

eveshopper · 29/12/2019 22:12

and I haven’t said we are going to.

You have been saying you don't know how to.

I'm saying you don't need to.

Original poster
Shoeshow · 29/12/2019 22:12

@Icanflyhigh Agree it’s all very shady.

Thank you to everyone for their advice.

OP posts:
Rachelfromfriends1 · 29/12/2019 22:14

Are you also going to report this to your home insurers?

Original poster
Shoeshow · 29/12/2019 22:14

@DowntownAbby they positioned the truck to pull it back through my neighbours garden, so they seem to think it is possible. I’m not convinced, but then I’ve never towed a car before!

OP posts:
Original poster
Shoeshow · 29/12/2019 22:16

@eveshopper thank you, I will call them back in the morning as I seem to have been given rubbish advice. It’s a big company too.

@Rachelfromfriends1 they need to be called in the morning too for the fence - hoping it covers this.

OP posts:
ChristmassySpice · 29/12/2019 22:17

@Shoeshow they will. I'm sorry you've had to go through this, but they will get to you eventually. I wish they could throw the book at them. And believe me, they will want to. It's crap, the whole system is broken because there simply isn't enough people I'm law enforcement. So many are being diverted or choose to specialise with Child Abuse, as it's huge now - thanks to the Internet. Most of my mates are now on Murder Squad (or Homicide as it's now called in the UK, like the US)
In the meantime, these kind of things take a backseat. I wish I could help. I wish I still had the stamina and the heart to deal with this kind of thing, which is deemed as 'non urgent'

Aloe6 · 29/12/2019 22:17

It isn’t a political thread but Twillow does have a point that this is police cuts in action.

I hope you get sorted OP and guess all you can do is hand it over to your insurers. It’s their job to chase the third party and try to recover costs. The police response is disappointing but not surprising. They just don’t have the resources to help.

VivaLeBeaver · 29/12/2019 22:17

We had similar and the police said if nobody was injured they wouldn’t come. I said you’ll have to because the car is a write off and is totally blocking the road. So they eventually agreed to come out...but if it had been off the road they wouldn’t have.

Original poster
Shoeshow · 29/12/2019 22:23

We’ve now had 2 knocks from passers by checking to see if we have seen what’s happened to our front garden Grin

No sign of the recovery driver and the car owners brother though.

OP posts:
Rachelfromfriends1 · 29/12/2019 22:25

Hopefully your home insurers are a bit more proactive than your car insurance!

Is this link of any use? I think you can get their insurance details:

stayinsured.askmid.com/roadside.html

Buster72 · 29/12/2019 22:28

So in summary
A fail to stop (A summary offence)
No one hurt
No witness as to who was driving
No chance of successful prosecution.
The miscreant has organised a private tow to remove the car
You will have to go through insurance if you have the reg number the insurance company will be able to track them down and might get payment.

This is what you pay insurance for.

Meanwhile if you are in London I can guarantee the response sergeant at your local police station is pulling hi hair out trying to prioritise between a missing vulnerable child a stabbing and a slew of domestics.

SynchroSwimmer · 29/12/2019 22:32

When I gave my own insurers an offending vehicle registration number over the phone, from a database they accessed, they were able to then tell me who the other vehicle was insured with, they discreetly suggested that I contact that company

I was then able to ring their insurer to alert them what their insured driver had done and log it formally as an issue.

If that helps?

IdiotInDisguise · 29/12/2019 22:32

Exactly, and he is pulling his hair because police is understaffed.

blissfulllife · 29/12/2019 22:34

The police are under so much strain that they don't care about crimes where no ones physically hurt. We called them out after our neighbours had a terrible row and their young kids were out on the street screaming and covered in glass and cuts. Took them 3 bloody hours to get to us as we had the kids safely in our home. Hope you get it sorted c

Rachelfromfriends1 · 29/12/2019 22:38

If you use the AskMid link I posted above, you’ll be able to get their insurance details just from their registration number. I believe it costs £4.50.

You can search your own details for free, not sure if you can access theirs for free by using the same link ownvehicle.askmid.com/#

TrueCrimeFan · 29/12/2019 22:39

I can't believe the CF of the owner (we assume) coming back for it and then sending a tow truck!!!!

I really hope you get it all sorted

TheCaddyisaBaddie · 29/12/2019 22:39

If the tow truck comes back, just say that it is the scene of a crime, so evidence can not be removed until given the say so by the police. Ask them to sign a receipt and prove identity before allowing them onto yr property to remove it.

Troels · 29/12/2019 22:41

I'd ask all the neighbours to park in a row across the front of yours and neighbour whos front they will tow back through.
That should keep it there till morning.
Call the tow company back tell them this guy is impersonating one of their drivers and claiming to be from them, maybe they will send a tow truck of their own to find out what he's up to. Seeing as if he damages more, their phone will be ringing and their reputation will be in question.
Have you called your inurance, I can't remember if I read that.

Rachelfromfriends1 · 29/12/2019 22:42

Actually it might be free to search 3rd party insurance details via this link:

www.askmid.com/MobileNew/Default.aspx

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 29/12/2019 22:42

Car insurers almost always want a crime number as it is against the law not to report a road traffic accident .

It really isn’t. We’ve had three insurance claims over the years (all not our fault thank goodness) and have never had a crime number even though police were involved at one (car was in a car park and
Received collateral damage when a drunk driver drove into the car parked next to ours).

eveshopper · 29/12/2019 22:44

If you use the AskMid link I posted above, you’ll be able to get their insurance details just from their registration number. I believe it costs £4.50.

I will bet OP pays her insurance company more then £4.50 to do this very same job!