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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think these police officers should have done somthing about this and not just driven off!

33 replies

memoo · 31/10/2009 08:26

I was out in the car yesterday with all 3 DC, I was stuck in traffic and which was barely moving.

This numpty man then decided that rather than using the crossing that was just a few feet away he would run across the road in front of my car meaning I had to brake suddenly, not the end of the world because I was driving so slow.

Unfortunately this man then started hurling abuse at me, tell me I should open my "f*cking eyes" amongst other things

I was really gobsmacked! I then noticed a police car in the lane next to me, I wound down my passanger window to try and get their attention but they just drove off!

Crazy man then shouted "yeah tell the f*cking police like they give a shit!"

He then finally gave up and walked off leaving me really upset.

his was the first time I have been out on my own with all the DC since DD was born 6 weeks ago.

Am I really being unreasonable to expect that these police officers should have at least had a word with this man. Its not like I was expecting them to arrest him or anything but can't believe they just drove off, espcially seeing as there is no way they could have missed what was going on!

OP posts:
CaptainUnderpants · 31/10/2009 08:32

Perhaps they did miss what was going on, they have radios etc and alot of other information coming through to them in their car so may have been concentrating on that.

Fibilou · 31/10/2009 09:26

They may well have been on their way to an emergency. Not every police driver is able to use blues and twos (I don't have a blues card) but they are still sent to emergency calls and not able to divert unless they come across something serious. They have to drive the same as everyone else.
When I worked response it was not uncommon for us to have maybe only a couple of blues drivers on a shift of 10+ officers; because I worked in a large town it was not deemed necessary for everyone to be trained as it didn't take too long to get anywhere.

sarah293 · 31/10/2009 09:27

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Fibilou · 31/10/2009 09:28

Furthermore, you may find this extraordinary, but it may not have been a police officer in the car. If our marked cars need repairing a PC wouldn't drive them to our repair yard, it would be one of the fleet drivers as we can't spare officers to drive fleet vehicles to and fro.

So the occupant may well have been an old boy driving it to the workshop to get something fixed !

sarah293 · 31/10/2009 09:31

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sarah293 · 31/10/2009 09:32

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Fibilou · 31/10/2009 09:32

Riven, I know that is the perception but we are so swamped with people ringing things in completely unneccessarily. You wouldn't believe some of the things I have been obliged to deal with in my career (5 years) -
I remember one bloke being very annoyed that we weren't prepared to arrest his neighbour for not being prepared to mow the grass on the verge outide his house. It' usually petty arguments which tie up response officers' time
If people stopped ringing in every single little thing that they don't want to deal with themselves maybe we would have a bit more time to stop and talk to people like OP.,

sarah293 · 31/10/2009 09:34

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Original poster
memoo · 31/10/2009 10:53

It was definately 2 police officers in the car, both in uniform, thats how close they were to me. I really can't believe that given I could see them so closely they couldn't see what was happening to me.

I totally agree with everything you said Riven.

Fibilou if a man swearing and screaming abuse at a woman alone with her 3 DC in a very agressive and threatening way doesn't warrent the police stopping and doing something then I don't know what on earth is going on in society.

I totally understand how under resourced you are and that there is a huge demand on the limited number of officers on duty but surely this doesn't mean that inncidents like the one I experienced should be ignored.

To the police it may have seemed trivial compared to some of the things they have to deal with but for me it was really upsetting.

I had my 6 week old baby in the car and I was upset and felt a bit scared

OP posts:
BelaLugosisDad · 31/10/2009 10:59

Actually the country is more intensely policed than at any time in history, not just police officers but community support officers, partnerships with local authorities, anti-social behaviour officers etc etc .... but no police force or indeed government can keep up with public expectations. Not to trivialise OP's upsetting experience, but is it realistic to expect the police to be involved in every unpleasant incident that occurs on the road?

Devendra · 31/10/2009 11:04

memoo.. On the way back from hospital after giving birth to DD, my dad accidentally cut someone up at traffic lights.My Dad raised his hand to apologise. The guy stopped the car, got out and climbed on top of our car trying to reach inside the sunroof to hit us... It was terrifying and went on for about 30 seconds.. we were in a traffic queue so could not drive away.. There was a police car also in the queue and they did nothing.. nobody did anything and we did up the sunroof and waited for the nutter to get fed up and go...I was in floods of tears and my Dad was mortified.. we reported him to the police when we got home but nothing ever came of it. Im sorry you experienced a similar thing... but im not surprised the police did naff all.

sarah293 · 31/10/2009 12:48

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GypsyMoth · 31/10/2009 13:02

i'm a former officer myself. its bloody hard to please everyone. you simply can't be everywhere. you want to blame someone,then try government. police need more resources,its obvious isn't it?

the police in the car were probably tied up with something else,and couldn't take on some man who would likely get stroppoy/argumentative and then require arresting for breach of peace or god knows what......it wouldn't be a simple word with him,it would just aggravate. he walked off....no offence committed.

if i'd come across something like that whilst out on FOOT then i would deal with it,but if in a car on way somewhere,its more difficult. specially if its a call.

we need more police,simple. not just community support,but more officers

nighbynight · 31/10/2009 13:08

I would have assumed that they were doing something more important.
The man sounds horrible, I would have got my own comment in just as I drove off though, I must say!

AnyGhoulKno · 31/10/2009 13:19

I would have driven over him

Fabster · 31/10/2009 13:25

I have often seen police driving past incidents that I would expect them to stop at.

VicarInaBooTu · 31/10/2009 13:26

ive just got into the police as a regular having been a special for the last year. it really is a thankless task, peoples expectations or the police are huge and often totally unrealistic. its one of those jobs where your often damned if you do and damned if you dont, and public perception is very very difficult to change.
i really do appreciate what the OP is saying, but as others have pointed out, the officers in the car may have been involved in something already, also, despite popular public opinion, the police dont have power to deal with every single thing that happens to everyone, everywhere.
someone saying "open your fucking eyes" at almost getting hit by a car, although really upsetting for the OP, would be quite hard to do anything about in reality. do you divert 2 officers from something else to deal with a man who swore at someone in the street? it would really depend on the exact circumstances and what else was going on at the same time.
the police are subject to workforce modernisation, which in reality means less resources. i understand the critics and why they say what they say, but there truly is more to it than lazy police not responding to jobs.

nighbynight · 31/10/2009 13:32

I dont blame the police here, but I do think it's depressing that the man had no hesitation in behaving like that in front of them. It is just bullying really, he wouldn't have done it if the OP was a big hairy truckdriver!

ImSoNotTelling · 31/10/2009 13:37

Isn't it an offence to shout and swear at people on the street in a threatening manner? I am surprised I would have thought that wasn't legal.

And bela TBH I do think that the police should intervene if they see people acting illegally, in their cars or otherwise. There aren't any patrols on foot any more (at least I rarely see any), and if they don't intervene in things they see from their cars then that is the deterrant gone for a lot of the sort of minor everyday offenses which make peoples lives miserable.

nighbynight · 31/10/2009 13:39

Well they should of course, but I have the feeling that tiffany is right and they are too busy.
Somehow, I dont think its because they are too lazy.

ImSoNotTelling · 31/10/2009 13:40

Are we really saying that if people abuse and intimidate people on the street then that is not something for the police to deal with ie it is something that we accept as normal in our society? That there should be no comeback or recourse? No wonder vulnerable people are scared to go out.

I'm with Riven on this I have to say.

Ronaldinhio · 31/10/2009 13:47

I think that YABU.
Someone shouted at you. Not pleasant but hardly a matter for the police.
I know it was the first time you were out in your car with your new dc but no one else did and that probably made it all the worse.
Anyway what were you hoping the police would do? Arrest him?

ShowOfHands · 31/10/2009 14:03

Say it was animal rights protestors and they'll come running.

There are no bobbies on the beat anymore.

Plastic police.

Bloody plod.

Targets.

No wonder this society has gone to the dogs.

Gordon Brown.

Broken Britain.

Just in case you haven't got your Modern Policing Bullshit Bingo card free with the DM today...

ImSoNotTelling · 31/10/2009 14:09

I think that to belittle people's concerns and experiences with the police on the assumption that they are right wing loons is a bit feeble.

ShowOfHands · 31/10/2009 14:17

I'm not belittling genuine concerns. I do struggle with sweeping generalisations though, such as ones that suggest there are no longer any foot patrols, police deliberately turn a blind eye, are lazy.

There are enormous problems with staffing levels and workloads in the police service but I was taking a lighthearted swipe at the unfair generalisations out there.

FWIW, I have just been into our local city, parked, nipped to the library and to a newsagent and back, covering about 800 yards in total and saw 4 PCSOs and 3 police officers all on foot patrol.

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