To be shocked at this non-attendance by the police?

[JMSA]

Last weekend, as I was making my way home from a dog walk, a man fell to the pavement in front of me. I rushed over to help him get back to his feet and it quickly became apparent that he was blind drunk. No sooner had I helped him up than he was face-planting the pavement again. He had his 7 year old child with him. The child shut down completely, and wouldn't look at me or talk to me. Obviously a trauma response. But he didn't look shocked.
I phoned the police, saying that I had a welfare concern about the child. They replied that they'd marked it as a priority but couldn't say when they'd get someone out. They were busy. They asked me to phone them back if the man became violent towards his child
I stayed with them because I work with vulnerable kids and couldn't in good conscience walk away.
The man sat on a step trying to phone a taxi, but was too drunk to use his phone. He started getting tetchy with his son, because he expected him to phone the taxi! Son started feeling a bit more comfortable with me. I had some sweets in my bag which he enjoyed, and he showed off his jumping skills. Over an hour passed and the man stood up and declared himself able to walk home. He literally staggered home with his son. I followed at a distance to make sure they got in ok.
The police phoned me later for a statement.
I'm not naive and I know they're stretched, but bloody hell ... the poor kid

If you saw them enter an address , report to social services

Yes, I did that too. The police did attend the address much later (they phoned to let me know).

Aaah the poor wee mite.

If you followed them home and saw their house I'd report to SS. They're as swamped as the police too but they might get to it, stop the poor thing slipping through the cracks like so many do. Thank you, for trying to look out for him.

If I saw someone face plant on the pavement, not once, but twice- I would have called an ambulance! If the person agreed to go to A&E, at least the child would be in a place which is deemed 'safe'. I'd be far more concerned about a child going home with this man- who sounds like he would have a head injury and could potentially deteriorate overnight!

I assume you got as many details for the child as possible to make a SS report yourself? It must have been awful OP.

The ambulance service was my first port of call. I was told it was a police matter.

As he was breathing, wasn't bleeding, was chatting (albeit completely slurring his words).

And yes, of course I got the details. I was with them for long enough.

As he was breathing, wasn't bleeding, was chatting (albeit completely slurring his words).
I work in healthcare and previously A&E, so would have been very concerned that the alcohol was masking a serious injury. Presumably your thoughts too with you asking for an ambulance. Out of interest, did 999 say it was a police matter only?

They did, yes. They took all the details and then asked me to call the police instead.

Scary!

I know. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

I recently had a thread because I was alone in my flat and my upstairs neighbour (who has MH issues) had some kind of psychotic break, thought I was someone else (he admitted later when he was lucid I 'remind him of someone'), and came charging down the stairs in the early hours and straight up kicked my door down. Luckily he became lucid before he actually attacked me but he was about to. He went back upstairs and I rang 999 straight away, explained I could hear him pacing and muttering upstairs and I was alone with no door lock (wouldn't even close).

They still haven't come out. I had to get him removed via the letting agent but it took two days of us living in the same building and me hoping it didn't happen again (happened on a Saturday morning).

If they bother following up I'll have to tell them to sod off basically. The moment has kind of passed now! The whole 999 system is broken. Even if you'd called an ambulance instead it would have taken hours with the same result - which may be why they diverted you insisting it was a 'police matter' without even knowing his injuries...

I know the police are really stretched at the minute but bloody hell that’s the kind of thing I would expect them to turn up to. Thank you for looking out for that little boy. I hope social services get involved and he is saved before it’s too late.

Ambo should have taken that one. But I know how much they pass over as police (area depending of course) and it’s not okay. If they would have taken him to A&E he would have been checked for injuries and SS would have been there PDQ as the child couldn’t have stayed whilst his dad was in state.

It’s an SS matter and thankfully not (this time) a police one. But the fall made it an Ambo matter. The emergency/essential services are so poorly shot to shit at the moment it’s horrendous. They desperately need money poured into them.

I hope that little boy is okay :(

The police have a new National initiative'Right Care Right Person' where they are refusing to respond to matters that they believe are more appropriately health or mental health and refer these to ambulance or MH services

In many cases I agree this is appropriate. The trouble is that they do have powers eg S136 MHA and S46 the children act that no one else does and they do get some calls wrong

I suspect they thought this was more appropriate for children's services but in fact S46 might have applied.

Also you don't know what flags might be on the system and it might be that this is a situation that the police and ambulance are already aware of but can't tell you that.

Either way you did your absolute best and can't be accountable for other people's decisions

Absolutely @JMSA you did your best, thank you for thinking about that boy.
I wish the poster on the recent thread who wanted to police to undertake a home visit to a driver to tell her to be more careful when driving in a car park, could see this thread.

An ambulance for this would have taken hours, they'd be long gone by then. It's 4 hours plus for a stroke whereby the person has been estimated to have been on the floor for 12 hours plus before discovery here ffs. Police are more appropriate and it's shocking they didn't attend.

If I saw someone face plant on the pavement, not once, but twice- I would have called an ambulance!

And this is why people having strokes or heart attacks can’t get ambulances or be treated quickly enough in A&E.

If I had that situation at work I'd request an ambulance but also police. I've dealt with people with very bad addiction issues. Unless there's a risk to the airway or a lack of pulse, the ambulance service tends to hand it to the police. Sad, but true.

Why is that sad? If they do not require immediate medical care then it's far more appropriate for the police to try and ensure they get home safely as a duty of care than an ambulance. Paramedics also can't access any sort of rehab care of course.

I know of a few cases where ambulances have been called and taken so long the person has died before they've got there. Including one incident where a street homeless person had a heart attack.

Our emergency services seem to now be completely broken

The poor child. You did all you could op. The kindness and intervention of strangers makes all the difference, he will know he lives in a world where other people care. It’s enough to know that sometimes as a child, they often feel safer anywhere but home. Thank you op for being a thoroughly decent human being.

Shocking, but I think it’s at the point now where people don’t bother to call anymore and just accept they will die if something happens to them at home.

You did your very best for that child @JMSA.
Heartbreaking.
You just wonder what the police are dealing with if that incident isn't an emergency. FFS