Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

to have called the police?

66 replies

SerendipitousHarlot · 15/06/2009 14:47

Has she seriously left the baby by itself?

So my lovely Polish neighbour knocked on the door about half an hour ago, in tears, because she can hear the baby across the street screaming its head off for about half an hour - she had been knocking on the door with no answer.

I've knocked, dh has knocked, nearly knocking the door down, and nothing... meantime the baby is really really distressed.

So I called the police - while we were waiting for them to come, the lady of the house turned up carrying loads of supermarket bags

Obviously I went straight over and explained that I'd called the police and why - I asked her if there was someone in the house with the baby and she said yes. Then let herself in pretty sharpish and shut the door in my face

So the police are here, and she won't answer the front door, saying that she's lost the key That key that I just saw her let herself in with, yeah?

Am I gonna get shit through my letterbox?

I cannot BELIEVE that someone would leave a little baby in the house alone to go shopping I'm really fucking angry

(the baby is ok btw, I've seen her)

OP posts:

pickyvic · 15/06/2009 23:55

lol im here! just!

i agree tho! hope that copper got what he needed and hopefully will set wheels in motion if needs be. OP defo did right thing - too many people look the other way until its too late.

SolidGoldBrass · 16/06/2009 00:55

Nancy: but you don't know what happened. The OP stated that she didn't know the woman, does not know if there was or should have been another person in the house (who may have been irresponsible or unwell),had never seen her before, and that the police officer went away after speaking to her. I am not in the least disputing that the OP did the right thing, just mildly depressed at how quick some people are to leap to the worst possible conclusions.

Nancy66 · 16/06/2009 01:19

I think people are leaping to the most obvious conclusion, which just so happens to be the worst one.

Tortington · 16/06/2009 01:56

i think you are being obtuse for the sake of it SGB.

with any given situation - we could take what we are presented with and find another answer " AIBU i chucked out my dp after i saw him on top of another woman, he says he collapsed in a diabetic coma and that his belt had fallen off and his pants came down - i'm not so sure "

she saw a woman comming home with shopping bags - fair assumption she went shopping

woman from across the road wondered what to do - as the baby had been screaming or half an hour and no- one was answering the door.

at this point one might thnk any number of things - i proably would think (naivly) that the mum fell and banged her head or something.

then the woman comes back with shopping

won't let the police in

won't let them see the other person who was looking after the baby.

i don't think we need columbo

now - what caused the mum to do that? we can speculate - perhaps the buggy was broke - there was no way she could aford a taxi to go shopping - or get on a bus with a baby and shopping. and made a judgement call - which was a bit pants.

NetworkGuy · 16/06/2009 10:23

LOL - "a bit pants" - agree with the sentiment.

As some have indicated, it does seem clear cut, but we none of us know the precise situation behind that front door, and therefore it is very much speculation (and lots of condemnation) here on MN forum.

I'm single and male so not qualified to even hint at reasons for her behaviour, and not likely to be in similar situation, either!

Original poster

SerendipitousHarlot · 16/06/2009 11:21

See if I'm honest - she didn't strike me as if she needed help - she was all smiley when she came back from the supermarket, and was blatantly lying about someone else being in the house - I can assume this because dh went around the back to see if he could get an answer that way - there was nobody there.

My other neighbour had seen her take the other dc to school in the morning - she told the police officer that she had left her daughter looking after the baby - her daughter is about 8 and she was at school.

I'm really surprised the officer left it at that tbh.

Solid, I do see your point, there are all kinds of circumstances that could be in the background - but if she needed milk or nappies, she could have gone to the corner shop for those - not Farm Foods which is a good 15 minute walk.

OP posts:

TripleTroubleMuffin · 16/06/2009 11:28

Will you keep an eye in case she does it again?

And you definitely did the right thing. Better to call 10 times and there be no problem than never and miss one.

NormaSknockers · 16/06/2009 11:34

I would have done exactly the same thing Serendipitous so YANBU!

nigglewiggle · 16/06/2009 13:16

You are well within your rights to call the police and ask for an update. They might not be able to tell you everything, but at least you will know whether or not you need to keep an eye on things.

Original poster

SerendipitousHarlot · 16/06/2009 13:22

Really, niggle? Would that not lead me into the realms of 'interfering busybody'?

OP posts:

StewieGriffinsMom · 16/06/2009 13:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

LovingtheSilverFox · 16/06/2009 13:30

No, not an interfering busybody at all. With all the stories in the news recently about kiddies who have been abused, people shout "why wasn't anyone looking out for them? Where were the neighbours/family etc" I am not saying that in those instances anyone could have done anything to help, nor am I saying that your neighbour is in the realm of those parents, but it sets my mind a bit easier to know that there are still people watching out for others.

I am at home with DTs on my own all day. The other day they had the worse morning, and screamed for an hour. NOT one person, not one, knocked. Our windows were open, so they must have been heard. They were fine BTW, they are teething and its BAD.

Quattrocento · 16/06/2009 13:34

'I don't think we need Columbo' - funny

nigglewiggle · 16/06/2009 13:46

Not a "busy-body" at all. They should have updated you TBH. I would just say that you are ringing to check that the child was ok. That would seem very reasonable to me.

transactionalanalysis · 16/06/2009 13:46

I think you did the right thing by calling the police. Even if someone was there looking after the baby, they were not doing a very good job. You were right to be worried as someone may have been hurt inside.

Let us all hope that it has shocked the lady into never doing it again.

cheesesarnie · 16/06/2009 14:18

you did the right thing.whether the baby was alone or not(sounds like not) the baby sounded distressed and theyre was no answer from inside so whether person with the baby was ill or incompatent in some way or whether the baby was left home alone,it doesnt matter-phoning the police was the right thing to do.

Flip

1 2 3