To call police about crying child next door?

[PinkStarAtNight]

We can hear next doors toddler crying and screaming, its been going on for at least half an hour now. Its pretty much constant. She sounds very distressed, almost like she's being tortured. She seems to be saying something between cries but we can't work out what it is. It's part crying part screaming/wailing.

I know kids cry, but she genuinely sounds really distressed and its been going on so long. Also, I've been wondering for a while whether we should report the mother to social services. We can smell her and her boyfriend smoking weed a lot when the children are there, the mother constantly shouts aggressively at the kids when they are crying or asking for something, they have a dog which they routinely leave outside crying for hours on end and which the children hit without being told off, there is an older child of about 12 who seems to take on adult responsibilities and look after the younger children when the mother is drinking - there was one night we saw/heard the mother outside in her pool drinking and smoking weed, clearly drunk, at gone midnight and the 12 year old begging her to come inside and look after the smaller children.

I have been told not to call police/report as its none of our business and we should keep our noses out. Its quite a rough area so if they found out it was us who reported they might be angry and that wouldn't be good for us. But its really upsetting me to listen to the child crying so hysterically and for so long, and to listen to them get shouted at daily. Also hearing the poor dog whining outside for hours is awful - really cold days and really hot days - so I've also thought of reporting to RSPCA.

Thoughts?

You can't ring the police for a crying child but you can contact SS about the general situation.

With the other evidence, I would.

I grew up in an abusive home and there was constant crying, fighting and screaming coming from our house but everyone always ignored it. As a child when my mum threatened 'someone is going to call SS' I used to secretly hope it was true.

If the screaming is a regular occurrence though I would try to make sure it was still going on when I called because you don't want them to see nothing going on and be labelled malicious if you continue to call.

PLEASE call. This is what I don’t understand in the tragic child murder cases - Baby P, little Logan whose killers were sentenced this week, Victoria Climbie, the list goes on - where were the bloody neighbours when those kids were being regularly and routinely tortured? It wasn’t a one off, those innocent children suffered for months/years and lived in very close proximity to other houses/flats. Honestly OP, I couldn’t hear that going on next door and not follow it up somehow, they won’t know it was you who called, please don’t ignore

It should be a 999 call.

Hi!Hannah Here i think you should make a report for the kids and the poor dog.i have saw something like this before from my highrishers window where someone was almost killed.so maybe record sounds and vidoes for evidence just encase this becauses a case.

Not the child crying for an hour that’s a concern, my sons been ill the last few days and been inconsolable.

however, the rest of it definitely so!
I work with SS, in particular the care proceedings side of things, if they are already involved with the family then you reporting will help SS to build up a case against the parents, it’s hard enough for SS to remove children who need to be removed so any outside reports will really help.

if they are not known to SS then reporting it will help SS work with the parents to improve the situation/get help if they want/need to.

There should be a local team you can call, rather than the police.

Only crying? No.

Everything you've said? Absolutely yes.

Report them, those kids must be having a miserable time.

I voted YABU, but only because you should be reporting to social services and not the police.

My understanding of the child protection agency in the country where we live, is they need as much evidence as possible to be able to get involved.

I was encouraged by our local school principal to file a report upon finding a school tablet/device trashed and thrown over our rural boundary fence. We knew the parent was on meth and selling herself from home, and the school had already involved the appropriate agencies.

theres nothing pleasant about any of this but you have to think of the kids. Two years on, mum has been through rehab and now has the children back. I hear she is doing very well.

The Golden rule with children is, 'If You Are Asking Whether To Report'... REPORT. You aren't the expert, SS is. They may already have information, they may not. Your report could be the difference.

And if you live somewhere dodgy and get asked, "who the fuck would shop someone to SS, wankers?" with a shocked face. Style it out. I've done it with reports to the police about DV.

I’m amazed you haven’t reported to social services and the RSPCA already. You know the mother is routinely drunk and stoned while a 12-year-old looks after small children and you know the dog is routinely being locked outside in distress and hit.

If you genuinely think this is something worse than an epic tantrum, and that the child is in pain or has been locked up or whatever, then phone the police. But “a toddler has been yelling for half an hour” isn’t a particularly convincing report that something is seriously wrong. Phone them by all means, but also make a report to social services about the situation in general because bloody hell, there is clearly something badly wrong.

I would report the general situation to social services and the RSPCA. A child crying for 30 minutes isn’t of itself worth calling the police, it’s the other background and context you’ve given that makes it worrying. You might be less identifiable reporting to SS because an investigation could come from school or anywhere, not obviously from a neighbour.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will look into reporting anonymously to SS and RSPCA

How would you feel if you don’t make the call and something happens to the child?

Equally, how would you feel after making the call , them finding out and making your life a living hell ?
Its happened to me , I've reported, animals and children. All it got me were death threats and poison throw over my wall in attempt to kill my dog. No animal or child were removed.

I also reported anonymously..but they asked what I could see ..and then determined where I must live.. with the owner of the animals. The animal cruelty people ended up vaguely knowing those I reported and basically told them It was "her next door" . 🙄

I have been told not to call police/report as its none of our business and we should keep our noses out.

child protection is everyone’s responsibility

The police and SS would rather see 100 situations where they're not needed than miss the 1 they are.

Call and keep calling

You could also report via a Health Visitor and the NSPCC?

Just a child screaming for half an hour isn't a reason to report. I hear all my neighbours kids having long, drawn out meltdowns at times. But the other stuff, yes. Make a social services report.

You may as well call SS and the RSPCA because if your only concern is them turning on you because you're the obvious people to have reported them, well they're going to think it's you anyway when someone else calls them. And in that time it takes for someone else to eventually report them, the child and the dog will continue to suffer.

Today is Sunday. I'm sure ss would advise calling the police when there is an immediate concern, so yes, do that.

Yes, call the police, but also report to social services and to the RSPCA. At least then you can tell yourself you've done everything you can. It doesn't sound like a nice situation OP 😞

She may be doing controlled crying or whatever its called, if the child wont go to sleep mother is prob just leaving her to it, its not even constant crying, you said some wailing and talking in between. It certainly doesnt warrant a police call on that alone