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.

next time i'm burgled , i'll report a covid breach , meets the pattern of my interactions with the police. Last time (first Lockdown)was when a group of youths were passing down our street and decided to damage loads of cars , no response from police . Next day driving car to garage -you can guess the rest.

@TheLostDiadem

I don’t know what they were suggesting they’d do, just asked if I was sure I wanted to cause a scene in front of my kids . I obviously didn’t and I really wasn’t being aggressive or anything, just bewildered that they considered it to not only be against the lockdown regulations but serious enough for them to attend in the middle of the night.

they were threatening to arrest you as a punishment for not being compliant, respectful and obedient enough.

Yes @PigletJohn that’s what I assumed to. With the implied threat of OPs kids being sent off to social services in the middle of the night and the subsequent problems that would bring.

As a more pleasant counterpoint, the reason I was so shocked is that the police here have been bloody amazing over the past year. We needed help for a vulnerable neighbour and they really went above and beyond.

@Roo84 I think people hold up police officers to a higher standard. They're upholders of the law. There shouldn't be ANY rotten apples when they hold so much power.

I don't hate all police officers. However I have a dim view of my local force.

I wrote about it at the time. But basically they gave my rapist my address. Then as if that wasn't bad enough sent two men round to my house unannounced after midnight. They refused to leave and were quite aggressive trying to get me to report the rape.

They said I had to think about the other women he might do it to (nothing like a bit of victim blaming) and then I had to think of my children.

I repeatedly said I didn't want to talk. I had gotten out of bed. Was frightened as I didn't feel safe in my own home. And frankly them not taking no for an answer was quite distressing having just been raped.

It got worse when I complained. They lied and then refused to be drawn on the lies... the police commissioner (up for election this year) completely ignored me.

So yeah. Not surprised by this story at all. I'd say complain but I don't know if it'll make a difference.

@Roo84 the officers I know are great. I don't bash them, I bash the paperwork culture which the Home Office and senior officers have been cultivating for decades now. In Canada it takes a tenth of the time for an officer to be back on the street after an arrest compared with the UK.

Tell your mum to spray paint "BEING A WOMAN IS A BIOLOGICAL REALITY" on her living room wall and tell the police that the burglars wrote it. That'll have them round in a tick to sort out this serious matter pronto.

In seriousness--no advice, but how utterly shit for your mum. She must be terrified. What excuse can possibly be made for not taking a break-in seriously?

What excuse can possibly be made for not taking a break-in seriously?

Take your pick:

It would be difficult to track down the burglar.
They wouldn't make any revenue out of it.
The OP's mum isn't rich and/or famous.
They'd have to fill out too many forms.

I find the most disturbing thing that she was alone in the house and the cat's rib was broken. yet the police were uninterested.

The behaviour of the officers was appalling.

I would complain. I think it is awful.

Appalling.

Hope your DM and her little cat are OK.

Unfortunately this has become standard practice.
Yet if you go 4 miles over the speed on a deserted dual carriageway then it is a different story.

If anything happens now we don’t bother with the police as it is just a waste of time.
Dh has quite a common name. Apparently there is another guy with not only dh’s name but also his birth date living in our area. This apparently warranted a visit from the police. No crime had been committed. We still aren’t sure why they needed to come and see him in person.
Yet friend had armed men in her house and all she got was a crime number

Something has gone awfully wrong

@TheLostDiadem

Get in touch with your local newspaper about what happened to your elderly mother and yourself
they be very interestedly.

Also if you have get in touch with your local newspaper you can ask in the newspaper did anybody see anybody suspicious person/persons hanging about and entertaining your mother's property.

You also need to get in touch with your local pawn brokers shops etc in your area, to see if anybody has been trying to sell anything suspcious as your mothers stuff,

Warn these kinds of stores that if anybody tries to sell any dodgy hot stuff to notify the police/and yourself about this.

Have you got any photos or can you give a good enough descriptions of what was stolen from your mums property then?
for local newspaper/and pawn brokers stores locally.

Also make sure you put up CCTV as soon as possible as sad to say,once someone is burgled once,there is allways that chance it could happen again.

Also make sure you that your mother house is more securely locked.

Sorry what happened to your mother op

These burglars are Arseholes

I had a similar experience years ago, police turned up at my home at nearly midnight to accuse me of assaulting a child in the playground at ds school. The child's mum was an ex friend who had borrowed money off me & then given me a bouncing cheque in return. The assault was supposed to have taken place 2 months previously, I had pushed the child to the floor & stamped on her, I asked if there were any witnesses, apparently there weren't. If I had done it in a playground of parents, surely someone would have seen it, the final thing was on the date in question I hadn't been in the playground, I had been out during the day with my partner & had started to feel ill, I had stayed in the car & my partner had gone in for ds, school confirmed this, his teacher remembered that I had rung & given permission for dp to collect ds.

It frightened me for months after, particularly as the mum used to smirk & whisper with her little gang of alpha mums.

Unfortunately, this has been my experience of police also. It's shit. I honestly don't know what to do as I'm shielding, the police complaints officer has sent me this link to request the bodycam footage which she claims doesn't show anything I complained about.

www.met.police.uk/rqo/request/ri/request-information/rso/request-information-about-yourself-or-someone-else/
Halfway down the page there's a hyperlink to an application except it doesn't work. So I've emailed them asking them to post me out a paper copy.

Aside from that, I reported an assault which they have not investigated. They have not even taken a formal statement from me - nor requested one. I have a witness and she has not been contacted either.

I'm at a complete loss as to what to do. What can you do? It's so frustrating. I suspect I'll just have to let it go and forget about it. But if I put a foot wrong? Damn sure they'd be on my case I'm sure!

I don't know what crimes they are actually investigating these days!

@JackieeWeaver

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

YOU have no authority here, Jackie Weaver. No authority, at all.

Sorry, couldn’t resist it....

Your mother was AT HOME when the house was broken into? Her cat had its ribs broken? I would be so scared for her safety and enraged. The police need training and to get their priorities sorted. PLease complain and help hold them to account.

The officers in my force area have to switch their Body Worn Video on before entering someone's property (not sure if it's a national policy) so if you make a complaint quickly and mention that you want this footage reviewed by the IPCC you may get a result.

Sorry, IOPC not IPCC. I am out of date.

www.policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints-reviews-and-appeals/make-complaint

@SuperCaliFragalistic

The officers in my force area have to switch their Body Worn Video on before entering someone's property (not sure if it's a national policy) so if you make a complaint quickly and mention that you want this footage reviewed by the IPCC you may get a result.

One of my complaints against the police? Conclusion: we will remind officers to turn on their bodycam on entering any scene. I've had to request 2 police officers to turn on their bodycams in the interim (I was assaulted and it was while I was giving the statement). They don't turn them on most of the time from my experience. They should be disciplined immediately for not having bodycam on at all times in dealing with public. It's not to protect them - it's to protect us - or it should be - which is why they don't seem to like turning them on.

I know the truth of what happened, the police know the truth of what happened, but I'm the only witness in my defence and they back each other up. In fairness, I get that they're loyal to each other, but it leaves Joe Public completely at their mercy. They conveniently forget to turn the bodycam on and then there's no footage when you make a complaint against them. I am so disillusioned with police, I wouldn't bother even reporting them anymore. They'll say that there is no footage/evidence, they will lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie and lie some more. And they will back each other up. It's infuriating, but what can you do? I really think complaints need to be publicised. I'd have no issue with my complaint against them being publicised except of course..... there's no footage. They forgot I suppose.

The priorities of this police force seem all wrong but what about your neighbours. I wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping in a house that had recently been burgled. I also wouldn't feel comfortable living somewhere where my neighbours reported breaching Covid regulations to the police.

OP you should complain that it dreadful. Police, MP and local paper if you are really mad. I’d think about police & crime commissioner too.

Appalling behaviour from the Police. Definitely complain OP. Stories like this have, over the course of lockdown, destroyed whatever (little) remaining faith I had in the Police. They really are not ‘fit for purpose’ these days.

That's not good. We were burgled. It wasn't traumatic at all as we were out and they didn't take much. The police kept coming round with welfare leaflets and doing follow up calls. To be honest I thought it was over the top. They have not treated your mum well at all.

Please complain. I hear this type of thing all the time. But it seems most MN'ers think police are nothing but angels.