To think this is unbelievably shit from the police?

[TheLostDiadem]

Six weeks ago my elderly mum had her house burgled while she was asleep upstairs. Not a lot of valuable things were taken as she doesn’t really have much but my (deceased) dad’s medals were taken, her laptop, a box of jewellery belonging to my grandma was taken and her cat was found downstairs with a broken rib where we assume he was kicked (but obviously can’t be certain it was the burglar).

She phoned the local police number and was told to report it online. I came round to do it and help her tidy up and make sure she was ok etc. 48hrs later and still heard nothing from the police so I called them to be told they were incredibly busy and responses can take up to a week. Finally, 8 days after being robbed my mum gets an answer phone message from the police saying they’ve received her report and given her a crime reference number so she can claim on insurance. If she has any further queries she can email them and they’ll get back to her. No enquiry, not welfare check, nothing. Just a crime reference number over a week later.

I live with my dc in the same town. In the garden of my house is an outhouse that is currently being renovated so that when my dm becomes less independent she can live there. It’s nearly finished and has been separated off from my house and has a separate entrance and drive. The electricity had finally been connected last week so last night I decided to do a sleep over there with dc, just for something to do. At 12.15 I was woken up by police hammering on the door. They immediately asked me my address and what I was doing there. I said I lived next door, was sleeping over with dc, had something happened, was dm ok as I assumed something bad had happened. They wouldn’t tell me anything just asked for proof of address. I said it was all next door and they demanded I go and get it. I wasn’t happy leaving dc alone with the police so had to wake them up and drag them over and back again while I got my driving license. It was only then that I realised they thought that I was breaking lockdown rules (very touristy area). I gave them driving license and got a lecture on how we weren’t supposed to leave home unless absolutely necessary, fancying a sleep over wasn’t necessary and I wasn’t to do it again. I asked if it was any different to camping in the garden and was that allowed, what possible harm am I doing sleeping in what is basically a garage and was asked “are you sure you want to do this? You have your children with you and I’m sure you don’t want a scene”. I found this genuinely quite frightening as it was two big, male police officers and I was alone with two young dc. They then left after telling me to make sure I stay at home from now on and that they wouldn’t take further action this time.

TLDR - my mum was burgled and police responded a week later with a crime reference number and nothing else

I slept in the converted garage in the garden with 2dc and was woken in the night by 2 police men to be lectured firmly about lockdown rules.

If I’m not being unreasonable do you think a complaint would be warranted? I’m one of those people who have never really had any dealings with the police and sort of assumed they’d be on my side. Really shocked at what I’ve experienced the 2 times I’ve actually dealt with them though.

[StareIntotheMaggotDrawer]

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis

Sorry YABU
The issues are separate
And you were breaking lockdown rules thoughI don't think they should have spoken to you in that way or frightened you or your children.

How on earth is this breaking lockdown? The OP was in her outhouse. It’s basically a brick shed

[StareIntotheMaggotDrawer]

And I don’t think the issues are separate at all, it shows how little hope you have in this country if you are the victim of actual crime

[taleforthetimebeing]

Ihatemyseleffordoingthis how was she breaking lockdown rules? It is on her property. I would totally complain.

[Onairjunkie]

It’s things like this that actually need the media to pick it up. This is appalling.

I got burgled a few weeks ago. I was home alone with a baby and they waited for my husband to be away, so there’s a suggestion of surveillance. The police didn’t come, we were given a crime reference too. I was petrified. I still am a bit. It’s a horrible feeling.

Yesterday I got pulled over and questioned by the police as to where I was going. They quizzed me for ages. I was going to the doctors and they made me late.

[Warsawa31]

All they care about now is Twitter offence and lockdown enforcement. Did anyone see the Merseyside police campaign titled "it's an offence to cause offence" just sums it up perfectly.

A lot of people have lost respect for them in the last year.

They are supposed to be citizens in uniform and police by consent - those days are gone and now they are a political paramilitary force.

Of course there are some decent police officers but the organisation in general is corrupt and treats us like great masses of unwashed uneducated diseased idiots.

Thank fuck most of then don't carry guns is all I can say

[ladygoingGaga]

As a senior police officer, do make a complaint, they are always dealt with by an Inspector, we don’t want a few giving us a bad name or poor service for anyone, I can’t speak for your force but we make personal visits to all burglary victims.
The Inspector should agree with you what they will look into. Ask them to check the bodycam footage if you think they were rude or heavy handed.
But there is no need to report to a Police Crime Commissioner as an operational matter they pass it to the local senior officer and Inspector.
Just trying to save you time OP.

[Username198]

I’d complain even if the only result is you create extra paperwork for them. We were burgled and had same experience as your mum

[anotherlongwalk]

@UhtredRagnarson I suspect the eagerness of the police to find lockdown rule breakers is to do with the fines that go with it. They’ll have been encouraged to get that revenue in.

I can assure you that this is absolute nonsense.

[peboh]

@TheLostDiadem

peboh I think it’s because my house is a corner plot so you access my house from one road and the conversion from the road round the corner. There’s no wall up as yet, it’s just an open drive so I guess people saw the lights on, decided I was a grockle and got straight onto the police. I’d be interested to know whether they were directed to report the ‘crime’ via the website. It clearly got a much quicker response than my mum did despite them saying it would take up to a week for a reply as they were so busy. We’d only been there for about 4 hours before they came knocking!

Seems your neighbours have far too much time on their hands. I'd definitely complain about their behaviour and the fact that they basically told you you can't sleep over in your own garden.

[Haffiana]

THIS is the story that the Daily Mail should pick up.

[Ihatemyseleffordoingthis]

"It’s nearly finished and has been separated off from my house and has a separate entrance and drive. "

To all intents and purposes - its a separate dwelling, or so it would appear

[Girlwhowearsglasses]

Yanbu
Complain about both those things. I'd keep them separate for official complaints though becaus ethe computer or person dealing with it won't be able to do both together. If you were to highlight it with MP or media though it would be worth the contrast

Hope it gets sorted with your mum

[UhtredRagnarson]

[quote anotherlongwalk]**@UhtredRagnarson I suspect the eagerness of the police to find lockdown rule breakers is to do with the fines that go with it. They’ll have been encouraged to get that revenue in.

I can assure you that this is absolute nonsense.

[/quote]
I would love to believe you.

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

I'm so sorry about what happened to your mum, OP, though the "insurance reference" response is unfortunately standard

“Are you sure you want to do this? You have your children with you and I’m sure you don’t want a scene” on the other hand is not, and suggests a couple of pumped up types hoping for a nice little confrontation to win. Complain by all means, but since there were two of them and one of you, be prepared for them to deny it was ever said

Fortunately - at least IME - most police are great; it's just such a shame you met exceptions

[Finfintytint]

Unbelievably rubbish service. I’m retired Police and this is unacceptable. It’s not unusual to having no attendance for a domestic burglary ( we used to though) but to be so heavy handed for suspected Covid breaches is abusing powers.

[MichelleScarn]

@TheLostDiadem I'm so sorry youve all been through this, its probably not at the forefront of your concerns but you should be able to get your dads medals replaced if you find his regimental association on Facebook they could maybe do an appeal to look out for anyone trying to sell on his medals.

[Dustyboots]

I find this really really disturbing OP.

Personally I’d call various newspapers etc and see if they’d print the story.

[NotFabulousDarling]

It is stupid what they did but I would have said "this is my house, I live here, this is my land and property as is the main house up there" not "I live next door". Definitely put in a complaint and make it very clear this is your house not that you popped next door for a sleepover! You were basically sleeping in another bedroom of your own home.

[bewilderedhedgehog]

This is bullying behaviour. I really think you should complain. The behaviour of some (I hope a minority) police is going to reduce trust in the police further. I am really sorry about your mum's experience - very frightening for her.

[MaxNormal]

I'd be grassing the immediate neighbours up claiming they were second home owners down on holiday just so they could experience the joy of a late-night knock on the door.

Your poor mum and wee cat

Definitely complain and point out the contrast in the police actions. Seems all they give a shit about now is covid and twitter offences.

[VashtaNerada]

Spoke to DH who is a police officer. He said that the cutbacks by central government are horrendous and (where we are anyway) burglary jobs now go out to uniform teams as opposed to detectives, who don’t always have the same training when it comes to investigation or victim care. Their case loads are so exceptionally high (again because of the cutbacks) that they often don’t have time to do more than a voicemail. That said, he’s really disappointed they didn’t handle it better and offer your mum at the very least some sympathy for such a horrible crime.
On the other issue he thinks they messed up as you certainly are allowed to sleep in your own garage. He said you could put in a complaint.

[UhtredRagnarson]

What’s wrong with them just politely advising that you stay in your own home. Why do they have to threaten to cause a scene to upset children?

[StressedTired]

Definitely complain!!
Your poor mum, what an awful shock for her. How is she doing now?

[JackieeWeaver]

Wasn't Derbyshire police was it? They love to flex their authority

[Walkaround]

@TheLostDiadem - to be fair, your experience with your mother and your experience with your outhouse have nothing to do with each other, unless the latter incident is a symptom of police responding to an increase in robberies in the area by becoming more reactive, which you ought to be pleased about considering the earlier lack of interest in your mother’s case! It’s presumably far easier to catch people in the act of robbery than when they’re long gone, when a crime reference number is all you are ever likely to get, tbh, even if someone does pay you a visit to say the right things.

As for the attitude of the police in your situation, did you make it clear that you were still on the property you have spent the entire lockdown in, as the outhouse is owned by you and in your garden, so not a second home or different plot, or properly “next door”, but all part of the same plot of land at the Land Registry? Tbh, it was a bit silly telling them you lived “next door,” as though you were visiting someone rather than effectively sleeping in what is part of your own home. That said, they should not have been threatening towards you in the middle of the night, in front of your children and I might be inclined to complain about that.