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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:
WaxOnFeckOff · 29/12/2019 23:32

@sweeneytoddsrazor. We are in a tiny city in a very sleepy estate. Unless it had happened in the 5 minutes I was through the back hanging some laundry, there wasn't a peep of noise outside in my street but it can be a bit of a cut through into the further part of the estate. We never et visitors that late, the only person likely to be crunching up the drive at that time of night would be my neighbour who very occasionally needs someone to sit in her house for 10 minutes while she picks up her DH or older DC and doesn't want to wake the little ones. She would generally just do a wee chap on the window though :)

DontCallMeShitley · 29/12/2019 23:36

An innocent driver doesn't bugger off and leave his car in someone's garden unless he is going to hospital, where there will be a record of his attendance.

A driver leaving the scene has something to hide.

GreenTulips · 29/12/2019 23:37

sorry, yes car is insured just not taxed

Then it’s not insured.

Indigo89 · 29/12/2019 23:43

Rubbish situation for you OP. I would be anxious and unable to get on with anything else until it was removed from my property so I understand you must be feeling unsettled by the whole fiasco.

As the wife of a police officer though, I must say, they regularly get inundated with several extremely urgent issues and have to make a judgement call of which one to attend. There are simply not enough crews to attend incidents like yours on the busiest of shifts, and if you knew which other 'jobs' the police had prioritised over attending your car incident, I am sure you'd agree.

Graphista · 29/12/2019 23:44

“but hit and run is a serious crime and is a police matter.”

What?! Nobody was injured right? No person was hit? Hence not a hit and run.

Where do you live that you’re surprised that in the early hours of a weekend during a holiday period that this isn’t a police priority?!

Are you aware of the severe cuts to police numbers and resources?

“Whoever said that it isn’t a life or death situation is technically correct but surely things haven’t got so bad in this country that the police cannot come and assist the innocent party in a crime within a reasonable timescale.” Seriously?! Another one that seems oblivious to what’s been happening to our emergency services

Police attended in less than 6 hours to an incident that didn’t involve anyone being hurt and that’s not good enough?!

“We live in East London” likely one of the busiest parts of the country!

Out of interest - who did you both vote for?

“we are worried they are going to come back and cause trouble” nothing you’ve said indicates this is likely

“I'll take that as a "yes I voted Conservative but I didn't actually realise the cuts were so bad"”

Actually I take it as

yes I voted conservative but I didn’t actually realise the cuts would affect ME

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

Yes it’s upsetting and inconvenient and expensive what happened but at least nobody was hurt.

Police are increasingly at risk themselves due to the cuts. My brothers best friend attended a burglary in progress alone early this year as there weren’t enough officers for him to have a partner with him, there’d been a series of burglaries in the area but until this point no violence involved even when he’d almost been caught before. Brothers friend was seriously assaulted to the point he spent weeks in intensive care (and he’s a big fit chap!) and has only recently returned to active duty which he wasn’t sure if he wanted to (understandably).

This is what’s happening as a result of the cuts.

And please stop certain pps with the “austerity was necessary” nonsense

1 that’s a myth
2 they’ve had nearly 10 years to get things sorted
3 the tories NEVER like funding public services they always cut them

Think you need a much more realistic perspective on this kind of thing op.

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 29/12/2019 23:47

OP 2 things

  1. you do not have to grant access to your garden for the tow truck to hook up the car. They have no legal right to access your property. Tell them they can return with police escort to remove it. At which point you can get the police to get the owners name.

  2. put the photos of the car including registration number all over Facebook local pages, selling pages etc and ask for information on the owner. Explain what they’ve done. Invite people to PM you and say you will keep their names confidential- you only want the owner’s details- name and address would be great. You may get nowhere or you may strike lucky.

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 29/12/2019 23:48

EMAIL the tow company now to tell them they do not have permissions to enter your property and can only do so with police escort.

eveshopper · 29/12/2019 23:51

sorry, yes car is insured just not taxed

Then it’s not insured.

It's not as clear cut as that. Each case is assessed on its individual circumstances and the third party cover will be in place for OP anyway.

eveshopper · 29/12/2019 23:52

EMAIL the tow company now to tell them they do not have permissions to enter your property and can only do so with police escort.

Why? What the hell do they need a police escort for? You think the police have nothing better to do than provide an escort for a recovery truck Hmm

TreacherousPissFlap · 29/12/2019 23:53

I haven't RTFT but will chip in here and say that where I live you would be extremely fortunate to have police attend in the first place. It would be classed as a failure to stop RTC and would be recorded over the phone which is when you would be given your reference numbers.
You would then get your insurance company to deal with the situation (which is what you pay them for)

eveshopper · 29/12/2019 23:53

put the photos of the car including registration number all over Facebook local pages, selling pages etc and ask for information on the owner.

Don't do this. You have e no reason to do this.

Jonb6 · 29/12/2019 23:54

Op what are you looking to get out of this thread? It is a political issue that the police service is unable to respond appropriately by investigating to see if a crime has been committed and a discussion should be had about whether we are prepared to pay higher taxes or whether corporation tax should revert to its previous amount. It must be distressing to have this incident happen but the police do seem to have indicated they cannot currently assist further so can you not just treat it as a civil matter? Thankfully no one was hurt.

2020BetterBeBetter · 29/12/2019 23:56

Why don’t you just complete a V888 and ask the DVLA for the registered keeper’s name and details?

DdraigGoch · 29/12/2019 23:57

People are moaning about cuts but you wouldn't have got much of a better response 15 years ago. The police have been utterly tied up with paperwork so that it takes six hours to process a suspect, compared with one in Canada.

TokyoSushi · 29/12/2019 23:57

Sounds rubbish OP, hope it gets sorted soon.

WaxOnFeckOff · 29/12/2019 23:57

Jeez, This isn't an innocent situation where someone has hit into another car because they had a tyre blow out/had a heart attack etc. Someone crashed onto OPs property in the middle of the night, hitting her cars on the way and then ran off. Then snuck back to try to move the car.

They clearly either stole the car, had been drinking or on drugs or committed some other crime. Innocent people don't run away or even if that was their first instinct, they then come to realise that the owner of the cars must have contacted the police so it's better just to get on with it and get it sorted.

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 29/12/2019 23:58

Why? What the hell do they need a police escort for? You think the police have nothing better to do than provide an escort for a recovery truck

Hmm yourself. They want access to OPs property without handing over the information OP needs. Fuck that. If they have to wait as long as OP is waiting for police to attend then they might just give her the information to get the car back. It’s the only leverage she has. Why the fuck should she let them on her property to get the car they wrecked her property with and not have to hand over their name? The police don’t have to attend at all. They can tell the tow company it’s not happening. But OP doesn’t have to let them on.

Don't do this. You have e no reason to do this.

She does. She needs information. Owner is refusing to hand it over so needs must. They can’t own up if they don’t want to be shamed online.

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 30/12/2019 00:00

can own up.

WaxOnFeckOff · 30/12/2019 00:01

OP has contacted her insurer, they are waiting for the police number which OP doesn't have. There isn't a lot more she can do until this is actually properly processed by the people who are supposed to do this.

It's not a failure to stop in that the car is stopped and is crashed through OPS cars and property and the driver has run off. It's not quite the same as someone taking your wing mirror off and carrying on driving (perhaps oblivious).

eveshopper · 30/12/2019 00:02

They want access to OPs property without handing over the information OP needs.

OP doesn't need any information. OP needs to pass the info she has so far to her insurance company, because that's what they are for.

Why the fuck should she let them on her property to get the car they wrecked her property with and not have to hand over their name?

To get the car OFF her property.

And no, OP doesn't need to post all over Facebook for information.

There is a real lack of understanding when it comes to insurance. I realise many people just don't pay attention to anything other then the monthly payment, but you pay your insurers to do this legwork for you.

Don't put yourself is a potentially vulnerable position by posting on Facebook when you don't need to.

eveshopper · 30/12/2019 00:04

OP has contacted her insurer, they are waiting for the police number which OP doesn't have.

There is an error here with the insurance company. You don't need to give a crime number.

There isn't a lot more she can do until this is actually properly processed by the people who are supposed to do this.

Well actually it is a non injury incident which means it is the insurance company who are supposed to deal with it.

TreacherousPissFlap · 30/12/2019 00:04

And by the way, the OP does not need information as the registration number alone will be enough for the insurance company to do their thing.
The offence of failing to provide details has already been committed, the matter has been reported to the police. I'm sort of struggling to see what the OP is hoping the police will do when they attend.

GoldfishRampage · 30/12/2019 00:05

.

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 30/12/2019 00:05

our car insurance won’t start the ball rolling until they know details of the other driver / if it is a stolen vehicle etc.

Op needs other drivers details for insurance.

WaxOnFeckOff · 30/12/2019 00:07

Well actually it is a non injury incident which means it is the insurance company who are supposed to deal with it.

Fair do's, but there is clearly more than one crime committed here but no-one seems to give a toss and it's now too late to do anything about some of it.