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

[Shoeshow]

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?

This is where a clamp would be useful.

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.

For what reason would OP want to keep the car there?

This is where a clamp would be useful.

Bloody hell! You can't go clamping people's cars for no reason. The driver crashed. He is allowed to recover his vehicle!

@Buster72 yes. This is what a copper has to deal with on a day to day basis.

For everyone else, please read and try to understand.

Most people think they will get a swift response to something that actually affects them personally. But the most defining aspect to our response is always the 'life threatening' aspect.

So, I'm dealing with a woman who's son has been stabbed to death. And trying to answer the call from the lady who had her wall put through or cars written off. I once sent a fire engine down a narrow street as there was a house fire spreading to other properties. The appliance ripped off hundreds of cars wing mirrors. I gave them the go ahead to do this. I was 18. Instinct told me to do this. I told them to speak to my inspector, if they had a problem. 13 people complained about having their cars damaged that night. at A 3 year old girl would have lost her life in that fire if I hadn't let that appliance through. It's tough being a copper. Especially when you're only 18.

I’m really not interested in discussing politics on this thread

The fact that a publicly funded service is unable to respond in an appropriate time-frame IS politics.

Don’t ring 111. As someone suggested

Ring 101!!!! That’s the police line. You don’t need a dr I take it?!? 😂

@Rachelfromfriends1 thanks for the links. I’m going to try my insurance in the morning again and see if I have better luck - if not I’ll try the links.

@eveshopper presumably but I was actually mistaken, she can get their details for free using that service if she wants to! It’s a roadside insurance checker provided by the government/MIB

No worries. This is the correct link if you need it:

www.askmid.com/MobileNew/Default.aspx

If they are insured, you’ll be given the details.

Going to try and get some sleep now - my eyeballs are stinging. Thank you for all the helpful suggestions, I will update if anything else happens in the night.

I was a copper once, when we were short on resources and times were busy we had 999 calls on delay. We were driving past people fighting to go to those fighting with knives. Yes it's extreme but that was 13 yes ago, now it's worse there are the same number of incidents and less that half the police there were then.
Quite a generalisation but from the coppers I still se now things have got really bad ith all the cuts etc.

For all anyone knows, the driver could have been drunk/on drugs/uninsured, it could be a stolen car (regardless of them having keys) so we don't know which crimes have been committed and no chance of the driver being tested for anything now even if they traced them. Luckily no-one was hurt but they might have been, this lunatic has committed a crime )at least one) and next time they could kill someone. Op, I think it's unreasonable to wait so long, who's fault that is is another matter.

I can see why it's not a life threatening emergency but it is still an easy crime they could clear up quickly if only they had the time to view the evidence. 20,000 more police officers only replaces the 20,000 who have been cut.

Bloody hell! You can't go clamping people's cars for no reason. The driver crashed. He is allowed to recover his vehicle!

It is parked on private property without permission of the owner. I would give it a go under these circumstances. Illegally parked.

When I had a drunk driver bounce off the car opposite my house and land on my drive then leg it and hide in a garden the Police had taken his car fairly quickly, having already got his description from me and noted the direction I had watched him take. It was a few years ago, before the Police service was decimated though.

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

It’s not a case of they don’t care, it’s more that the service is so badly underfunded, that they don’t physically have the numbers of Police Officers to deal with all the things expected of them. Lots of things that they would have done are no longer their responsibility, because Group4 or the Highway agency now deal.

Realistically there are often more members of staff in McDonald’s on a night shift, than there are police officers on duty. There literally might only be 6 police officers to cover an area of 100,000 people.

www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/cambridgeshire-police-parkside-station-shocking-14226422

The kids were safe in your home, my understanding is that lowers the priority, because they are not in immediate danger. There’s no immediate risk to life.

Dear Mr Johnson.

Congratulations on your election victory.

Now it's time to demonstrate that you intend to deliver on the promises on which you were elected. On many 'borrowed' votes.

You have chosen to take responsibility for the shocking reduction of police numbers, under a Tory watch; so this is your chance to demonstrate that you are not some sort of charlatan chancer.

Please advise what you intend to do about the crashed car, the hit and run in my front garden, now present for 16 hours.

Yours, etc

Send that to No 10, your MP, whoever they are, and the local press.

And, has it not been demonstrated that swiftly dealing with 'minor crime' reduces major crime?

is parked on private property without permission of the owner. I would give it a go under these circumstances. Illegally parked.

For what reason? The car isn't 'parked' it crashes. Why would you want to prevent the owner having it recovered?

If we contrast this with the other night in my area, I was in my house when I heard crunching up the driveway at about 11.45pm. Door bangs and door bell rings. I'm literally about 5 steps from my front door in my study and already on my way to the door when I heard the crunching...anyway, shove the outside light on and looks out and it's a policeman at the door. Opens door and he tells me it's nothing to worry about but he's had a report from some locals of people being "a bit noisy" passing through the estate and had I heard anything...

@ChristmassySpice

A friend of mine bumped her car into another car at the supermarket whilst parking. She checked for damage but couldn’t see any. She was moving at snails pace so no harm done. The owner of the car apparently saw her and reported her for a hit and run and she got a visit from the police. They were very sympathetic and didn’t press charges but she got a bit of a fright. Clearly the police had nothing better to do that day. We do live very rurally though, not much goes on round here.

This sounds like a nightmare. Are your cars drivable?

For what reason? The car isn't 'parked' it crashes. Why would you want to prevent the owner having it recovered?

Because at this point we have no idea if it is the owner who crashed it and whether a crime was comitted.

If it was my car, I think I would have been knocking on OPs door, apologising and giving my insurance details. Can anyone think of any reason why A, the owner didn't deal with it at the time or B, deal with it at 6.30 when they came back? Maybe they are just shy?

If the driver was under the influence it's too late now. The logical solution is to go through insurance like the majority of non injury accidents.

Thats a good service @WaxOnFeckOff, last week one night I was busy applying a bandage to my colleagues hand after he had been assaulted and the police rang to say save up the footage they will look at in due course but couldn't get anyone there for a while. This is fairly standard for us in a reasonably large city.

Hope you manage to get this sorted op. Shit situation to be in.