Would you report this or not?

[itsonlyaradish]

I don't get on with my neighbours. They are generally quite common, unpleasant, chavvy (I know MN hates that word but they are). We live on an ex council estate, they are one of few remaining homes that are not privately owned or rented.

I have nothing against them living in a council/ HA house, I grew up in one myself and several of my family members still live in council housing in London. However this family tick every stereotype of council tenants - on benefits, loud music, garden full of crap, anti social behaviour etc. That's the background.

I generally try and ignore them. Even when they're driving round in an untaxed, un MOT'd car, when the younger kids of the family are spitting in the street, dropping litter etc, I dont do anything. They had about 80 people round for a party back in May and again I didn't report it.

Today, it's all kicked off. A couple of blokes were round earlier knocking on the door (just ordinary, middle aged men). No one answeredv and they left. A short while later 3 cars screech up with the older members of neighbours family and their mates. They're carrying what I'd think of as improvised weapons - garden tools like shears, bricks, empty bottles etc into the house and they're all fucking this and cunt that and we're gonna fuck them up. A few minutes later the mother starts yelling 'the fucking cunts are coming', all blokes smash loads of glass in the road, pile back in the cars and wheelspin off up the road.

They came back about 15 mins ago and it's all gone quiet although one of them is still on 'guard duty' sitting outside in the car. No further sign of the older men from earlier.

The whole thing feels like a crime about to happen - would you report? I'd want to do so anonymously if so as I can't be doing with them knowing it was me.

Reporting them to the HA is impossible as they only take reports if theres a live police investigation an then only verbally, otherwise they encourage you to discuss concerns with the difficult neighbour!

SO - YANBU - report them to non emergency number

YABU - don't get involved

what would you report though?

Don't get involved until there's something to report. I'd assume they're debt collectors or something similar if they were normal looking men who've caused such a reaction.

I work in the ASB team for a HA and I find it hard to believe they only want to get involved under the terms you say.

Report it to the council/HA and 101. You can report to the Police online if you dont want to wait on hold.

the whole thing to me sounds like they're gearing up to attack someone. There's also broken glass all over the road and pavement which is a danger. For all I know someone else might have reported them for this or similar,

I'm not in the police, I don't know what crime they've committed, but it just felt like something I shouldn't just ignore. Albeit on the other hand I am concerned about any reprisals if it became clear it was me.

I would report

If they end up killing someone they will spend the rest of their lives in prison

Neither os a good outcome

Just explain what you have witnessed and think about moving

Seriously, can you move house? I couldn’t bear to live next to that.

I think it's either drugs (they've had people round kicking off about that in the past) or theft (phone/ scooters - theft of electric scooters is rife round here) than debt collectors, although I could be wrong.

@itsonlyaradish

the whole thing to me sounds like they're gearing up to attack someone. There's also broken glass all over the road and pavement which is a danger. For all I know someone else might have reported them for this or similar,

I'm not in the police, I don't know what crime they've committed, but it just felt like something I shouldn't just ignore. Albeit on the other hand I am concerned about any reprisals if it became clear it was me.

I'd imagine the family are well known to the Police and may be mixed up in something like drugs and the Police will want to know. Even if it's just for intelligence purposes.

If this was reported to me (as I say, I work in ASB for a HA) I'd be asking for a police disclosure on the family which is allowed under the ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014, I'd be contacting the family about the "anonymous" report of a fight, and I'd be working with the neighbourhood policing team to increase patrols in the area just for starters.

Why wouldn't you call 999 when you saw armed men approaching their house?

And why don't you report their untaxed, un-MOT'd car?

This is the worst incident there's ever been. Normally its low level noise nuisance, littering, their house being an eyesore etc. They've only lived here for 5 years, the previous tenants had been here for decades and were a lovely multi generational family. I am moving but for various reasons can't for 2-3 years. The rest of the street is pretty ok other than them, my immediate neighbours are fine, most people don't get on with this lot tbh.

@hollowtalk the ones who were carrying weapons live there (or were accompanying those who live there).

Oh sorry, I misunderstood. Who were they looking for, then?

@HollowTalk

Oh sorry, I misunderstood. Who were they looking for, then?

The two normal middle-aged looking men who knocked the door

Ohhhhhhhhhh.

People like that tend to get themselves in trouble sooner or later. It's whether you can wait them out.

I'm guessing they were either gearing up for the 2 blokes to come back or planning to go after them in the cars. It's all quite a lot of drama for a Sunday evening.

If you report the car to the police, then if they are stopped the weapons will be found. I'd do that now.

I’d just sped up the move. We lived near similar, the police were always there. Nothing ever changed. The mum and dad were arrested quite often and back a while later. They had a fight once, and the police were called. They thought we had called then police, so became a bit of a target for a while.

After we moved I only realised how stressful it had been.

This sounds like you have awful neibourghs op

Moving quicker isn't really possible.

I've just been on the HA site and this is what it says:
We wouldn’t usually consider disputes between residents where there is no serious threat of violence to be antisocial behaviour.

If your neighbour is causing problems, we recommend talking to them as soon as possible about anything they are doing that’s affecting you. This is often the best way to sort out any issues. If the behaviour keeps happening, the situation worsens or you feel that you or someone else is at risk, please contact the police. Once you have a criminal reference number, please get in touch with our customer service centre by phone

So as I thought basically you can't even report them to HA unless it's been given a ref by the police.

sorry I mucked up the italics but you get the idea!

I would call non emergency. They might then react better when it kicks off.

Also, hit on HA again and again. I was told atories about one HA tenants whoch left the street just bwfore we moved in. Sounds very similar and neig ours just kept reporting to HA. I think MP got involved too. It did help some of the complainants were under same HA I think.

YABU for that offensive stereotype of council tenants. That is YOUR stereotype!

@GinQueen1844 I don't know if you meant to be so rude about a woman who is clearly experiencing domestic abuse and therefore probably has little to no say in how her home and family are run as an aside, I live in a nice area, I'm a private tenant and always probably will be due to the fact that 'almost everyone else in the street (including my landlord) have bought their houses' I would love the security of a council house or to buy my own home but I have been priced out of this area and my DD is already at school here so I'm reluctant to leave. There are good and bad people in all walks of life, not just council house tenants. What did you want the council to do with the empty house? Sell it?

I’d keep an eye on it and get ready to ring 999 if needed although I doubt you’re the only neighbour. But there’s no point ringing the police now as they’ve not done anything worth a police phone call and even if the police did come out they’ll deny any wrong doing.