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 would be reporting this everywhere. Your Local Authority will have some sort of community partnership team, I'd find out which HA owns the home and call their safeguarding officer, I'd call environmental health about the noise pollution, I'd think far and wide about who can help.
People absolutely need somewhere to live, but it doesn't sound like this family have the skills to live independently and will continue to cause chaos, so social services should be supporting.

I work for one of those emergency services. There’s frequent meetings for our area to talk about addresses we’ve been to (as a tri-service) and it involves the council. We each have safeguarding processes, so whatever is happening at that address will be being dealt with.

Exactly what I was going to say.

I have a neighbour like this. He hasn't impacted me personally but the neighbours either side have suffered. He is known to police and ambulance services now so there is nowhere else to report to. I don't feel particularly kindly towards him but he is clearly ill.

When somebody says ‘that person’ they generally mean someone who does something unreasonable or unpleasant.

It seems like all services are already involved but absolutely confirm the unreasonable amount of disruption. And yes, this is due to new neighbours and responding to calls, not the fault of emergency services who have to do this.

They go there for a reason, not taken lightly.

Yes , report to their housing association for anti social behaviours
Im a social worker and funnily enough - police/fire service call-outs or even child protection issues/long term involvements do not filter to the HA - even if they relate to ASB

Feel like you jinxed me-I read that just as another fire engine came screaming round the corner..... another long night for us

It sounds like there may be care issues at play from the ages you've suggested (just as an example my mum developed severe dementia which worsened very suddenly, she started threatening to attack my disabled dad and carers had to repeatedly contact police, ambulance, fire service because she'd turn the oven on and leave it) Social services didn't actually come up with a plan until she'd been doing these things repeatedly for nearly a year , it also included her walking around the garden with a carving knife stating she wanted to 'run it through' my dad. I'm pretty sure her neighbours weren't keen on all the emergency services turning up constantly but social services tend to react rather than be proactive. I'm not suggesting this is the scenario where you're living , simply that it can take a long time for professionals to put a viable safety plan in place and they then stand back and wait for it to fail before trying anything else
It's extremely difficult for everyone involved and unfortunately other than contacting your local adult services with any further concerns for safety etc there's not a lot you can do

I live in a housing association property. I think the only thing you can probably do is report it to the housing association and complain about ASB , citing what you overheard & kids playing out etc and being concerned about safety for them & you.

Unless you have lived next to them you can't possibly know how frustrating and intolerable it is. Especially with kids and trying to keep them safe. Twats are twats, whatever suit you put them in . Posh, working class, billionaire, whatever.

There weren’t any mobile phones in 1980, @Friendlygingercat

She said in the 80s.

I get where you are coming from, a few years ago at my old house we had a similar problem. Someone moved in and there were ambulances and police cars eventually the ambulance stopped coming , it was just police because she really didn't want help. It was a severe mental health condition exacerbated by alcoholism. She tortured our neighbours banging on doors and roaring in letter boxes, she locked herself out on one occasion and it was freezing she came to my door and I let her in, thank god I could get the number of the landlord to get a locksmith. He apologised profusely, she destroyed the house and then moved out . I hope she is doing better now .

We had this. Flat across the road, council. In the worst month, we had 48 emergency responders (mix of fire, ambulance and police, sometimes armed) in 30 days.

Housing association were initially unhelpful but when I started to report every single disruption, they moved the lady into more supported accommodation remarkably quickly. I made sure to say in every email that housing and other needs were clearly not being met if she was having to call 999 sometimes three or four times a day, and they had a duty of care to house her appropriately. As well as the obvious disruption for us.

I also forwarded every single email onto adult social care (I initially went through the 'Front Door' which is our local process but check what it is for you, then got an email) and again raised my concerns about her support.

She is now living in a supported unit in the same town and I see her sometimes. I hope she is well, and I am also very glad we no longer have 4 armed police and 9 officers arriving in our street at 2am.

Well just to update, nothing really changed since my last post.....it's been an ongoing additional few weeks with daily calls outs from all the emergency services, but after lots of complaints from all the neighbours, the person in question is being moved today as this placement wasn't working for them (took them long enough to figure that out!) Apparently she didn't like it there, so protested by wrecking the house and trying to set it on fire several times.

Hope your neighbour’s move goes ahead smoothly and you enjoy your renewed peace and quiet!

Bless her. I hope she gets a more suitable placement for her, and your peace is restored!

Yikes 😟. Glad she’s being moved OP. Here’s to peace and quiet!

You do know that emergency services know where they go to and record this? If they’re concerned, they have teams of people working on repeat call addresses.

Yes, I do know that thank you. There's also other people you can complain to if you are concerned about someone's behaviour as people living with the consequences, as the neighbours have done.

HAs are always very reluctant to act on anonymous calls. They prefer to know who is calling, and will keep those details confidential. But the general view of the ones I have been involved with is that anonymous calls are often malicious therefore they prefer to know who you are.

I’ve just read your updates. That’s awful that she’s been left for so long deliberately setting fires to the property. Where’s the concern for her poor neighbours homes to where the fire might also spread?! She should have been sectioned for that alone, as it’s dangerous for all. She needs to go into a home where she is monitored by staff. Fires can kill people and spread far if not caught in time.

Glad it’s on its way to being resolved OP. Have you watched “Alma’s not Normal”? On the BBC iPlayer - Sounds like you had her mum as a neighbour!