AIBU to report repeated emergency call-outs at new neighbours' house?

[Chickpeaqueen]

I can't work out if I'm being unreasonable, but I'm feeling a bit unnerved. We had new neighbours move in a few weeks ago. Since then we've had an emergency service at their house practically everyday. One night the police and a taxi woke us all up over an unpaid taxi fare, which lasted an hour. The next night we were woken by police doing what sounded like hammering a door down inside. A few days later a fire engine was outside at midnight ....various police car and ambulances on and off throughout the past week or so. Today a fire engine has been sat directly outside my house for four hours, blocking the road. The police have been there, with another ambulance. Took about five hours for everyone to leave. I asked the firemen if everything was alright and they simply replied 'yes' although I'm sure I heard them mention knives. It's not very pleasant for your kids to arrive home from school and find a fire engine and four firemen standing directly outside their house. A friend who works for housing has suggested reporting it to the council, but I'm not sure if I want to be that person. But equally, I also don't want to keep being woken up at night and it's starting to put me off letting the kids go out on their own. I imagine it's to do with mental health, which I sympathise with but it still doesn't take away the impact it's having. Is it unreasonable to report it?

I'd want the household moved on!

I agree. I think all those posters making g sarcastic replies need to think how they would feel if they and their children were being impacted in this way.

Posters assuming it's just poor mental health should maybe reread OPs posts. Knives? Fire engines?

Are these neighbours new Op? I would be calling police non emergency and asking for advice.

Yes, I did. But people were still saying the OP was being unreasonable. Which is why I said if she said that her and her children had to leave their homes at 1:30am, maybe people would have seen it differently. That was my point.

You don’t know who exactly is calling the emergency services. They may have escaped from living with someone with an MH condition (or is simply abusive) who keeps calling them. These people might not be wanting this attention either.

I don’t really see what can be done here, OP. Maybe take comfort in the fact that you and yours are safe and well?

If there’s a safeguarding issue, the emergency services would have already reported it

I have some sympathy with OP. Many years ago as a student (1980s) I lived at the top of a tower block and the council housed a mentally ill man from a secure refuge in the flat opposite, So a potentially violent man and a single women separated only by a few feet. He was forever begging money from me, when I said no he got angry. He cut my phone wires (that was when I bought my first mobile) and cut off my door knocker with a bolt cutter. He threatened the caretaker with a hammer and another tenant with a knife. He racially abused the local shopkeepers in that diverse area.

The police attended and arrested him. He was bailed to appear in court and when he defaulted was again arrested. Meantime he had got drunk and violently assaulted a man in the gay village. Weeks later he was allowed back escorted by police and social workers to collect his few belongings. His flat was full of rotting birds and rubbish, At one point a young kitten was trapped in there and the caretaker had to rescue it.

All this played out over six months during which I and other residents had to put up and shut up. It was a very scary experience. Unfortunately he was never fit to live in the community and was abandoned by his social worker who only visited once. I often wondered what became of him.

Who would you report it to?

When you report make sure you actually include details. You’re assuming everyone knows that a key safe box would indicate part of housing association etc. people don’t know things unless you explain it!

What was the rationale behind being asked to leave your home by the emergency services?

You have a right to a private and family life. I would be getting really pissed off by this too.

It's clear this person or people cannot function well in their current setting either so it works both ways.

I doubt anything would happen if you did report it to the LA or Housing Association anyway OP. I lived in a Housing Association house a few years back and new neighbours moved in next door, they were anti social, drug dealing, out in the street fighting with each other, threatening neighbours that came out and broke another neighbours window. I had to phone the police several times and my son who was 10 at the time was terrified. The Housing Association said their hands were pretty much tied and they had to build a case against them for years before they could even consider eviction. It was awful.

This is a really unpleasant pile on. Its distressing and disturbing to be woken up in the middle of the night for days on end because of someone’s mental illness.

The OP may not be au fait with all the protocols which the emergency services use. That doesn’t make it unreasonable.

Some of you should try this for a bit before lashing out.

Two thoughts

1. it is too soon to start with the big complaints. Keep a log if you wish
2. if the root cause of the call outs is a genuine problem, you won't get anywhere with a nuisance complaint.

For a while a house in our street had police or ambulance or both every day/night. There was no complaint to be made, they needed the support at that time.

They’ve been houses because they’re vulnerable I should imagine. So what good would moving them do? They’re vulnerable and it’s just moving the problem.

I can’t see them being moved, sorry.

They’re new it’s in the title! OP “thinks” she heard knives mentioned, this is not a definite.

None of us reading this thread would want this going on outside our house. I think we can acknowledge that.

This is good advice. You don’t actually know what the issues are. It may be worth speaking informally to your local councillors. Speak to your other neighbours. Rather than complaining or reporting, gather information. Then you can decide what to do next. I really feel for you, I’ve been in a somewhat similar situation and it is stressful, but it will help you if you think about what you can actually control/achieve. Best of luck.

The HA won’t move them. We had issues like this. Once we had 5 police cars there within 3 hours. MH issues with the occupant plus anti-social behaviour from them and the numerous ‘friends’ who visited, taking advantage of the occupant and dealing drugs.

To me, it sounds like the younger adult in the house near you is the one with problems. How severe the problems are, who knows? Have you spoken to any neighbours? I found out more from some of mine who knew of the occupant previously. Presumably social services are involved with yours? If so, do they know the extent of the problems?

We need more supported accommodation for those struggling to live in the community, with staff on hand. There’s no-one you can complain to, but you could a) write to your MP, complaining about the lack of suitable settings for those with such MH issues; and b) just let the HA know about the adverse effect on your life so that they have that evidence if needed.

Who do you anticipate reporting it to?? As for being asked to leave your home in the early hours……….you can refuse to do this, at your own risk of course. If emergency services are attending regularly they will be keeping records on the number of attendances with the reasons why they attend.
To cover all bases you could consider reporting this to SS, as you say you’ve seen young children and an elderly couple so you could claim that you’re concerned for vulnerable children and adults.
What do the rest of your neighbours think about the situation? Have you considered speaking to the family involved?

I’d ring up social services elderly care and explain you’re concerned about an elderly couple next door. Explain what’s been going on. That way they can visit, log it and get them the right support.

I would want it to stop too OP but I don't know how that could happen since the authorities are already involved.

And even then it’s a bit off to report emergency services presence as a nuisance!

Thanks for some of the 'helpful" advice. It's hard to keep your nose out when you're asked to leave your house at night and have emergency services talking about knives two meters away from your front door, so rather than just sitting in my house clutching my pearls, yes I am frustrated with the situation. It's hardly ideal to house someone in a place where their actions have these consequences. They clearly aren't coping. And no, I wasn't ever planning on ringing the emergency services to complain about the emergency services attending to somebody.

To whoever asked, we weren't told why we had to leave our house at night, just that they needed us to get out for our own safety while they were dealing with an incident. My husband was at work so I stuck the kids in the car and then drove a bit further down the road in the hope they might go back to sleep (ambitious!) so I don't really know what exactly went on, just that it was another neighbour that called the police. Last night another neighbour told my husband the house has apparently been bought by an association or charity, and sounds like is being used as some kind of temporary accomodation, so I'm hoping that they won't be there for long. A friend who works in housing at the council suggested it might be being used for a similar reason, she suggested we start reporting incidents where we are disturbed to them asap.

Sounds awful and frightening OP. I guess all you can do is log it all and then submit the log to the council and/or HA. It is possible then this family will be given more support which they clearly need.
I do hope it quiets down, I'd be on my knees with tiredness!