To feel concerned at seeing a neighbour being taken in police van...

[ThatBreezyRaven]

Just went out to walk the dog and saw a police van parked a couple of doors down, opposite side of road. Two police officers were coming out of the house carrying clear plastic bags with items inside. I couldn't see what was in the bags. The police officers were wearing blue plastic gloves. A man was coming with them out of the house. I don't think he was handcuffed and didn't seem to be resisting - and he was going into the back of the police van, where one of the policeman was accompanying him.

I WFH alone and now feel uneasy. We have young teenagers who will be home from school later. I don't know if anyone else is still in the house where the police were, or what the arrest - if it was an arrest - was about.

YABU - it's none of your business and not necessarily for you to worry about

YANBU - you're right to feel uneasy, you don't know what has happened in very close proximity to your family home

Yes? So he was also under arrest.

Our street has a whatsapp group ... nothing gossipy gets posted on FB.

Out NDN set it up last year. (I've since discovered someone in the road has CCTV that logs number plates ...)

I hope you are doing better now xx

They wear gloves as standard as have to stick their hands in all manner of gross things. The stuff in bags is evidence.

I mean no one wants to live next to a criminal do they so I think people are being a bit harsh here.

The point is the poster could be anywhere from John O’Groats to Lands End she is speculating without actually pointing a finger at an individual.

If she had said on here or on local social media ‘ I’m in Festival road and that Mr Benn at number 69 has been arrested and the police have taken evidence away, I wonder what he has done as he was always a funny one what with all those different costume changes and stepping through doors that took him to other dimensions’.

MN is grand for speculating about the minutiae of life without actually pointing the finger.

Yabu. If you hadn't looked out at the time, you'd be none the wiser. Just carry on living your life as before.

@ShellieAnn Oh ffs I did look out at the time though, I am the wiser, and I am carrying on living my life...though feeling slightly uneasy today while doing the very human thing of wondering/speculating what their potential arrestable crime is.

I would definitely be wondering what had happened and looking out for local news stories about court appearances in the future. It's human nature! I don't believe anyone who says they wouldn't be interested / nosey about it when it's one of their neighbours!

However, if whatever he was doing hasn't affected you at all until now, I don't think it's likely to.

And I'm unclear what you mean about your teenagers coming home later today or not knowing who is still in the house - that does seem irrationally worried as it suggests you think the kids stepping foot in the street will be dangerous for them, or that someone dangerous is in the house, when you know the police gave been in and taken away anyone who seems to accused of something (as far as we know). It's seems very safe day for your teenagers to come home to me?

I think it’s the fact that the police had random items bagged up that makes this more concerning than if they’d just put him in the back of a police car. It suggests something pretty serious to those of us who’ve never had involvement with the police.
I’d say it’s understandable that you’re worried / concerned / uneasy, OP, but probably no actual need to feel like that. Not sure I’m making sense here 🙈

True

My ex got taken in cuffs due to DV
No bags of evidence taken out with him just him

@Simplelobsterhat I get what you're saying about my kids. I think it's a protective mother instinct of wanting to keep your children away from anything potentially unsafe – and the idea that he might come back later.

It could be something as simple as cloning credit cards and they bagged up related items, or items he'd bought.

Either way, I'm sure FB will let the OP know or her local online news.

OP unless it's very serious and he's remanded to custody or it was a recall he almost certainly will be back. I think you need to try to ignore it now.

The cop has spoken. Going to switch off and distract myself from it - thanks all.

It could be anything. A family member was taken into the station by police to give a statement and they too had stuff in bags… evidence, (blood on the family members clothing) where their dog bit the attacker

I wouldn't even blink at this, it's an everyday occurrence around where I live. We had my neighbours door being battered down by armed police when he was wanted for attempted murder & drug dealing, I couldn't get out of my flat to fetch ds as they had piled evidence all along the communal area outside my flat. We've had armed sieges, murders, drugs wars, you name it, we've had it.

Again, as per my first post, there may be no potential arrest-able crime.

When I found my relative deceased, we had a full forensics team (wearing overalls with 'forensics' on the back), an officer standing outside the front door, one inside, at least two cars. Blue gloves, evidence bags, all of it. No, it wasn't a murder. It was just process. At one point I was sat outside with the police because I was the first witness, I had to make a statement, I had to sign the paperwork to formally identify the body. All that was done outside the property.

At no time was anyone under suspicion, under arrest, or was there anything sinister going on. I'm sure it looked impressive to someone who didn't know what was going on though.

He was put into the cage in the back of the prisoner transport van. He was under arrest. (I'm a police officer)

Thanks for clarifying. I didn't know that. Learned something new. :-)

I’m surprised by how many people are not worried about this 😅 It would put me on edge knowing I had a criminal of some sort living in close proximity too. I like to live in the blissful ignorance of thinking my neighbours are nice people.

@nightvisiting strange use of the word "impressive". I'm sorry you went through that and I imagine that most neighbours who saw that were concerned for you and your relative/s, rather than impressed.

Nah, they were just hanging around log enough to get the gossip on what was going on. They didn't even acknowledge me.

Had I been a neighbour, I'd have offered me a drink and seen if there was anything else I needed, but most people aren't like that it seems.