To ask the police why they are on my road?

[chouxchoux]

I’m single and live alone on the ground floor. I live in a very, very quiet area (rural countryside, my village has <500 people in it). Crime rate is very low and I feel safe here. Rarely see or hear of any trouble.

Tonight there is a police car parked right outside my house, behind a civilian car it seems. The lights are flashing on the police car. It’s dark and not street lit so I can’t see much of what’s going on, and my Ring doorbell is out of range to pick up on what they’re saying. Because I’m alone and on the ground floor it’s really freaking me out. It’s been going on for about 40 minutes. Would I BU to contact the non emergency police number and ask what’s going on? I wouldn’t ask for details but even just to know what type of crime they’re here for would maybe (or maybe not) put my mind at ease. I’ve got a busy day at work tomorrow and it’s really stressing me out 😔

Do you have a tv in your bedroom? Maybe just pop a film on and try and take your mind off whatever’s going on outside. If your door’s locked there’s nothing to worry about, it’ll all seem fine again in the morning when they’re gone and it’s not dark and unnerving anymore.

it was a horrible message. Hope you got a kick out of it.

Ring doorbells can pick up conversations? That is just intrusive. The police won't tell you anything, and nor should they. Maybe someone has had a mental health breakdown and they are there until the crisis team arrives? That happened to me and I would have felt even worse knowing my neighbours were trying to get information.

OP, they could be there about anything. for example someone on your road might have been a victim to a crime which happened somewhere else in your area and the police are talking about that.
In which case no one should know unless that person chose to tell people

Londoner shrug.

You are even safer tonight than at any other time, the police are outside, nothing bad is going to happen.

The responses aren't nasty your being over the top. Police pull drivers over all the time with lights on and depending on what they want to check it can take ages

What you describe sounds like a traffic stop/followed car - very unlikely to be connected to your village, it could be the police car pulled behind the car by chance and it's flagged up no mot/insurance for instance, not legal but hardly crime of the century. I lived on a main road and saw this dozens of times

Go and offer em a cup of tea and find out that way.

Im invested now

If you’re cheeky, you could go out and ask. They won’t tell you any details but you could say you are worried and they might be able to reassure you.

Where there was a major police incident in my area that I could see from my bedroom window, there were lots of people gathering around. I went out to see what was going on and a local councillor was there explaining to everyone.

Well clearly it does affect her which is why she’s here? You might not be stressed about this situation but op is.

If it's just a single car I doubt there's anything serious going on and you'll be ok. They might be visiting a family to deliver news etc

As gently as possible, you're not thinking rationally about this.

a) The police won't tell you what's going on so there's no point asking.
b) If there were any threat whatsoever they would have informed local people.
c) You're actually safer with a police car outside than you would be without one.

Do you suffer from anxiety? It seems a real over-reaction. I live in a city admittedly but there's rarely a day when there isn't a police care in my street. It's very normal and nothing to worry about.

I think this sort of reaction suggests you are very anxious and might want to get some help for it.

Op, I would go out & ask! They won’t be able to tell you
the specifics but may be able to reassure you.

After a night out we arrived home to several police cars outside our house. We walked past, nothing said and went in.
Became aware they were at our neighbours house , a single young woman ( L). I did go out to ask if everything was OK with her, before i spoke the policeman said 'I can't say what's going on before you ask' I said ' OK but can you let me know if L is OK?', he replied she was and at that point I was relieved but left it. We never found out what was going on at all.
The police won't say what's going on, but there s less chance of issues as police are there. Lock your doors , go to bed and dont worry x

Oh god don’t be that person.

Long story short and I woke up to a passed out 18yo on the inside steps of my apartment. Hard to explain…but it was duplex, 2 apartments upper and lower. The interior stairs were communal but inside the residence (I.e. not public).

Called the police…blah blah blah… 3 police cars respond, everyone outside and a nosey neighbor “happens” to walk by asking what is going on. Apparently “she had a right to know”.

Well … all this was going on pre-coffee. The drunken pissant was being snotty to everyone including me trying to persuade the officers not to charge him with felony home invasion. And miss “I have a right to know” stuck her nose in at the wrong time. She was told by me she had no right to know and to keep walking, the drunken kid got told to shut his mouth if he knew what was good for him, and the officer who was lecturing me about leaving doors unlocked got told to direct it to my dumbass husband all in the same breath.

FFS I was still wearing my ugly fluffy pink robe.

All’s well that ends well. The 18yo actually came back later that evening to apologize (yes he was a stupid kid that got too drunk and ended up in our house instead of his dad’s 2 blocks up) and nosey neighbor had to live with the fact that that she got called out in real time for being nosey.

Don’t be that woman.

We had loads of police outside here all night the night the young woman nextdoor took her own life. Absolutely tragic but no danger to anyone else. They won't be able to tell you anything, but if there was an actual present danger to you, you'd know.

How are you unsafe? You actually have police protection right outside your door!

hmm. Everyone saying you’re BU. Last time the police were in our very quiet grove my husband asked what was up. They said a neighbour called cos someone was pissing about in the wooded area behind us with a pellet gun.

they asked us to check my husbands Tesla footage and our ring doorbell footage, although we had nothing.

so they can disclose the reason for a call out…

That’s heartbreaking, I’m really sorry to read that.

I do take the point that whilst they’re outside I’m safer than usual. I probably should have said in my OP that I’m the last house on the road before it becomes a lane, and I have no neighbours opposite me (it’s farm land). So it’s the fact the police car is right outside my window that’s spooking me. If they were attending to a neighbour I’m sure they would be further up the road towards the houses.

the police car is still here with lights flashing (can see them through my curtains) but the civilian car that was in front (in the direction of the lane) seems to be gone. There’s no street lighting here so hard to make out much else

They won’t tell you anyway it with the blue lights still flashing, it’s most likely a driving offence; drink/ drug driving or looking for drugs in the car. They wouldn’t turn up to deliver bad news with blue lights flashing and left on, they’re more respectful than that!

We had that in our street and sadly it was also a suicide.

Are they chasing a swan?

Yabu op. Though I have police go past mine with sirens on daily so it's nothing unusual to me.

I have zero idea at all why some posters feel able to make such rude comments to others, without stopping to consider someone might be anxious or have anything going on. It’s surely not hard to just be nice or scroll onto another post that interests you more. OP it’s probably not the place to post if you’re feeling anxious

I agree I don’t think they will tell you but you are very safe with police there outside. It means it’s being dealt with. Pretty much like having security out your house! Don’t worry and just go to bed. Switch the channel in your mind. I know it’s hard sometimes! Find a funny reel or video on YouTube to watch. I find the old X factor auditions distracting when I have anxiety lol. Sending hugs to you x