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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Calling police about neighbors

37 replies

HairsprayBabe · 07/04/2020 10:35

WIBU to call the police non emergency number to "report" my ndn for smoking weed in their back garden, and if I do call them will they do anything?

They have done it for years and in normal life I just ignore and don't use the garden much. Obviously things are different at the moment and I can't just pop to the park to enjoy the nice weather.

We have lived here 4 years and are hoping to move to a nicer area in the summer.

I frankly don't care about other peoples recreational drug use but it stinks, and we can't use the garden much without breathing in the smell and it clinging to clothes and washing.

For full picture I am 6 months pregnant and WFH, DH is a key worker out 8-5:30 NDN smokes weed in their garden 3-4 times a day and the smell is basically permanent. You can't smell it inside our house though.

OP posts:
Cabinfever10 · 07/04/2020 10:40

The police have much better things to do than dealing with someone smoking weed in their own garden, no matter how annoying you find it

clareOclareO · 07/04/2020 10:41

I wouldn't bother reporting them, the police aren't likely to do much unless there is a suspicion they are dealing. Could you ask the neighbour to smoke inside because you're pregnant and can smell it?

DobbyIsAGoodElf · 07/04/2020 10:42

I totally get it. There's one a few doors down from me. It's so selfish and to be honest I'm tempted to send the kids out there at 6am since it's acceptable to do what the hell you want in your own garden.

Alb1 · 07/04/2020 10:44

I think YABU right now. If everyone suddenly reports petty illegal behaviour that they’ve ignored for years the police will be overrun, it’s just not the time to do it in the climate we are in. I completely sympathise, I just think we all need to think of the wider picture on adding pressure to important key workers right now, particularly when you’ve lived with it for so long already.

vodkaredbullgirl · 07/04/2020 10:45

Doubt they will do anything, unless they are dealing. As someone else posted can you talk to them, of course keeping the 2m rule.

Windyatthebeach · 07/04/2020 10:47

I would be out there hosing my garden. ..
Oops....

Doyoumind · 07/04/2020 10:47

They just won't do anything about it at the moment and likely wouldn't have previously.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 07/04/2020 10:50

Is there an alternative between calling the police not doing anything?

I totally get being irritated about the smell, but could you speak to your neighbour directly? Is there a reason they smoke outside rather than your house?

If you don't feel you could speak directly, you could contact a local mediation service usually run by the council, but some only offers it if one of the people concerned lives in Council property or housing association.

JasonPollack · 07/04/2020 10:51

They won't do anything.

dayswithaY · 07/04/2020 10:51

Pointless, they won't do anything.

tanstaafl · 07/04/2020 10:51

www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cam24-24-drum-fan/ ?

ilovemydogandMrObama · 07/04/2020 10:51

Sorry, rather than their house.

ScrapThatThen · 07/04/2020 10:55

Not at the moment

Gin4thewin · 07/04/2020 10:57

I have a neighbour who has spends every second of his life stoned, made worse by the fact my back door was swapped around with the kitchen window by previous owners so our back doors are either side of the fence. I work for the police and although theres a marker on his car for drug driving, the smoking it at home is pointless, itll be personal use
Feel free to call up as will still be in putted as drug use intel onto the system but no one will go out

sweeneytoddsrazor · 07/04/2020 10:58

No the police wont do anything and there is no guarantee moving will solve it. Smoking weed appears to be a pastime undertaken by many people regardless of area.

Daffodil55 · 07/04/2020 11:19

Despite being so annoying and the neighbour obviously has no regard for anyone else (did the last owner sell up because of this person?) as others have said it is not a priority to the police who are already understaffed and will be called out to domestic abuse cases more than ever now, which certainly ARE a priority.

A few days ago I was on my walk and I caught a strong whiff of weed (not sure which type but the smell is unmistakeable) and heard voices. Behind me was a group of three, looked like mother, daughter and son/boyfriend. They overtook me and the pong from the dope was so immense despite it being in the open air on a windy day.

Having this in your next door garden is not breaking any laws afaik so the police will not be interested. Just to add I believe a house seller is obliged to inform prospective buyer of any anti social neighbours but doubt this is done very often.

hardyloveit · 07/04/2020 12:06

Can you ask them to possibly go to the end of the garden?
My friend is police and they won't even go around there to say anything - even before this virus!
A dad at the school smokes it and sells it (he proudly says this aloud which shows how much of a dick he is) and someone reported him. Police didn't do anything at all!

nowayhose · 07/04/2020 12:08

Nope, nothing much will be done.
When you consider what is happening in the world, is your NDN smoking anything outside 3-4 times a day really THAT important Hmm

Why don't you just avoid the garden when they're smoking, after all, if they're only doing it 3-4 times a day, outside, then there's not going to be a lingering odour for long is there ? Hmm

Myimaginarypenguinhasfleas · 07/04/2020 12:12

Your best bet is to ask, in as friendly a way as you can manage, whether they would mind smoking it in the house while lockdown is in operation. You could live to regret that though, people have complained before now about the smell building up and creeping through the walls of adjoining houses.

Ferfooksek · 07/04/2020 12:23

They won’t do anything. It’s only weed

Samtsirch · 07/04/2020 12:25

I don’t think the police have any power to act unless there is evidence that he is dealing.

PardonWhat · 07/04/2020 12:26

Yes the police have nothing better to do.
Make sure you bring the kids in before the SWOT team arrive.

Original poster
HairsprayBabe · 07/04/2020 12:31

I thought as much, NDN are not very pleasant generally aways lots of rowing and shouting heard from them I don't think asking them will go down very well.

It literally stinks all the time 😑 and has gotten worse in lockdown as they are spending longer periods outside just sat around smoking.

I don't know why they don't smoke in the house.

Gardens are not very big so can't just go down the other end to try and avoid the smell.

Like I said normally I am happy to ignore it but I feel trapped at the moment and the garden would be a nice change of scenery. Shame that some people are so selfish.

OP posts:
Widowodiw · 07/04/2020 12:32

Ffs there’s so much more things going in in the world right now.

DdraigGoch · 07/04/2020 13:31

Smoking in all its forms is a disgusting habit and the smell of cannabis is particularly pungent. Sadly though, there's nothing that can be done. If your local police force have an online form for reporting minor crimes, you could log it on there. That way the drug use goes on record without putting pressure on 101 call handlers who must be rather stretched at the moment.

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