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Original poster

Not impressed - police response

77 replies

Upthehillanddownagain · 26/03/2020 05:43

So at about 12.30 am there was a lot of thumping and banging outside. It stopped and we ignored it. Then at 1.45 there was a very insistent ringing of our doorbell. It was a man we don't know from Adam, said he was looking for the Salvation Army hostel but he couldn't find it and could he sleep at our house for the night! (He even offered to pay us - what with, I'm not sure.)

Clearly we weren't going to let him in, and we didn't want him roaming our little road - there are two elderly ladies (80+) on here, and both of them live alone. So being a good little MNer, I rang 101. Their response? That the SA hostel is locked down anyway so he wouldn't get in, and they couldn't come and pick him up because of CV. All they offered was 'keep your door locked'.

I was Not Happy.

DP was the one talking to him (through the door) and after a while decided that actually the guy seemed genuine. So to keep him in one place we gave him a blanket, a cup of tea and some biscuits, and he's spent the night on our front doorstep. We haven't been to bed, as I felt it wasn't necessarily safe. It's now quite light and I think I'm going to risk it - I'm knackered. (He's still there.)

I know this isn't AIBU (I put it in CV because that's the root of the problem) - but AIBU to think that the police response really wasn't acceptable?

OP posts:
hoodathunkit · 26/03/2020 07:46

but without the demonising of the police and homeless people

"down with demonising police and homleless people" is a placard I could defnintely wave :)

TARSCOUT · 26/03/2020 07:47

Well done OP
Can't understand why you are getting slated and I am a meany! Police are useless in general but yes I thought they could have been more helpful, even just to move him on. Be aware though, he may be back so ensure you make it clear it won't be happening again and then pop a note through your neighbours doors.

nettie434 · 26/03/2020 07:47

I think you and your DP have been incredibly kind Upthehillanddownagain. It must have been very scary having someone knocking on your door so late, especially as I don’t imagine your house looks anything like a Salvation Army hostel! Well done for being such decent people. Sadly, giving someone a cup of tea and taking them to a hostel is the sort of thing I imagine ‘old school’ police officers doing.

Rosebel · 26/03/2020 07:50

Oh right so the police don't have a,duty of care. My mistake. They are also not worried about random people knocking on random doors,in the middle of the night. For all OP knew he could have been a murderer. For all this homeless,man knew,he could have terrified an elderly person. They could have at least given OP a number to call.
Perhaps I should have been clearer in my experience 101 are useless and I don't think I'm alone in that opinion but obviously everyone on here thinks they are wonderful.

Brefugee · 26/03/2020 07:50

I think the point might have been that there was no place of safety for him last night.

what a time to be alive in the UK

HelgaHere1 · 26/03/2020 07:52

Well if the police took him to the cells and he turned out to have the virus everyone including any other inmates would have to self isolate for 14 days.
I can see many police being off soon as they don't have the correct ppe stuff yet as far as I know. Might be different if they have the full hazard suits.

Dongdingdong · 26/03/2020 07:53

Can't understand why you are getting slated and I am a meany!

There will no doubt be MNers who think the OP should have taken him into her home and let him sleep in the spare room.

Be aware though, he may be back

This is likely.

FamilyOfAliens · 26/03/2020 07:57

Oh right so the police don't have a,duty of care. My mistake.

Yes, your mistake is in assuming that the police “duty of care” extends to finding accommodation for homeless people.

Oxyiz · 26/03/2020 08:05

Yes, the police are busy and hugely understaffed, even at 2am.

Yes it costs them hours of paperwork to put someone in a cell and the cells are usually full anyway.

No, they can not support every problem in society. That's not their function. They are not an information service either.

Their services have been cut to the bone, and they have also been expected to take on a lot of inadvertent work in recent years caused by mental health services being slashed too.

As a pp said, they are suffering from all this chaos right now. My relative who works in it says it's awful at the moment. In their unit they have asked people who have any level of risk to work from home, so they have lost some experienced frontline police officers. They have no masks or handgel, no protection. They have more domestic calls right now, and have all their usual workload plus monitoring expectations.

I wouldn't do their job for the world and feel really annoyed at the way we expect them to know everything perfectly, do everything right, always have the exact right attitude and polite tone, be completely understanding about every situation instantly - yet also be strong and tough and able to tackle abusers, rough criminals, deal with suicides and mental health issues constantly and so on - all while living a life of long debilitating shifts which disrupt sleep patterns and healthy eating habits.

I don't think they're perfect - they're just humans - but I think they do a damn good job under the circumstances.

So it pisses me right off when people whine about them like this. Grow up.

1moreRep · 26/03/2020 08:06

why are the police to blame for homelessness?

what power would they use to put in him police custody over night?

Laaf80 · 26/03/2020 08:09

Unfortunately this virus has really shown how decimated public services are. In some areas there are around 4 officers on shift for populations of 75-100k (in 2018 there were 208 police per 122k population and The cuts have continued since then).

Add increased domestic violence, drug issues due to lack of supply, child at danger, sick police etc as consequences of Covid and unfortunately the truth is the police are just not there to attend to you.

Laaf80 · 26/03/2020 08:12

Oh, and how many police stations have been closed (to build luxury flats...) ergo fewer cells?

It was one of the issues raised with Johnson’s promise to increase the police numbers.

Having said all that I’m sorry you feel let down OP Flowers but I think you need to look a bit higher than the police force for the culprit.

Original poster
Upthehillanddownagain · 26/03/2020 08:14

Slightly disturbing update. When DP got to the hostel, he found out that what the guy had told us wasn't true. And that he'd had contact with the police last night as late as 11.00pm when the police had to remove him from that very hostel.

DP is just leaving the hostel now, he seemed to have become the default 'responsible adult' and had to stay. The hostel have now sent the man away, and they're hoping that he'll be picked up by.....the police.

OP posts:
1moreRep · 26/03/2020 08:16

for what though what crime has the male committed

tempester28 · 26/03/2020 08:24

Well done op. The police should have taken him to a place of safety in the current circumstances.

Oxyiz · 26/03/2020 08:26

Probably has MH issues. Hostels can't look after everyone either if they're making it unsafe for others.

But still not a criminal, not until you can permanently lock someone up somewhere for annoying and scaring people.

Yy to there only being 2-4 people on shift for a massive region at a time.

I'd like to think we'll see more investment in public services after this over time but who knows.

Snorkelface · 26/03/2020 08:26

If you ring them to report a group of people having a BBQ in the park opposite your house they come with blue flashing lights (this happened two days ago when next door neighbour called police).

That's such a sad and difficult situation OP, you're kind and lovely people.

1moreRep · 26/03/2020 08:30

it is a social services issue if he is a vulnerable adult, you wouldn't call an ambulance so don't call the police unless he is being threatening/ a crime is being committed

1moreRep · 26/03/2020 08:31

if he had lost capacity and was endangering himself or others then he could be removed to a place of safety, if not there are no powers

Marieo · 26/03/2020 08:32

It's scary that there will be a lot of crimes unattended (I mean, even more so than before), and people will take advantage of this. When I was stopped by 2 police cars yesterday and asked for my address and why I was out of the house (for a prescription to drop outside my mums), and that if I was seen out again I would be fined £250; oh, and that really why am I taking a baby out and about (erm- it's kind of frowned upon to leave them alone at home). I thought about the time I had been assaulted at uni, and mugged at knifepoint in London, and they said they didn't have the capacity to attend, take a statement or do anything. Ahhh. I know it's going to be hard for them to enforce the new rules and they are under extreme pressure, but it seemed equally odd that the parks were quite merrily full, and when people phoned 101 they were told they were out and about and couldn't attend. Not a police bashing post, I think they do a hard job that I wouldn't fancy, but Confused

It sounds like you did a great job OP, I would have been terrified of anyone knocking and hidden upstairs so you did much better than me haha.

Yourshoesarewhereyouleftthem · 26/03/2020 08:36

OP, I'm really sorry that you had this experience. There is no debate that it would have been very unnerving and worrying. I hope you are feeling ok now.

However as some others have said, the police are blamed for not being able to remedy every one of societies challenges. In this current climate, Chief Constables are having to make some very tough choices about what we can respond to. We have to keep people safe from harm. We simply do not have the resources to keep people protected from every scenario.

There have been many posts over recent days asking where the police resources are going to come from to enforce behaviour and fines relating to a lockdown. This is going to continue to be a real headache for officers and the law abiding public as really really difficult decisions are made as to what we physically can respond to.

Thank you @Oxyiz for your post - sums up really well where we are at. My last set at work should have been 56 hours but was in excess of 70. I am now on 4 rest days but every day so far has been spent logging into my laptop, dealing with COVID related welfare issues, Occ Health referrals, welfare of some really poorly people who were off anyway and have been 'neglected' by me these last couple of weeks and reading every briefing sent out so that I am in a position to lead my team from the second we land back on Friday.

Cell space is at a premium as the staff and officers who work there are self isolating or ill, as are the numbers on our response teams and in CID. Nowhere is unaffected.

I am acutely aware that not everyone will have had a good experience with the police (please feel free to refer to that officer as useless - I couldn't argue with you having sadly come across them myself) however 'the police' are not useless. It is largely made up of ordinary people trying so so hard.

Dongdingdong · 26/03/2020 08:41

Slightly disturbing update. When DP got to the hostel, he found out that what the guy had told us wasn't true. And that he'd had contact with the police last night as late as 11.00pm when the police had to remove him from that very hostel.

Oh dear. If he knocks on your door again tonight I think you will have to ignore this time.

Oxyiz · 26/03/2020 08:44

@Yourshoesarewhereyouleftthem Flowers and Brew. I know it's often said and can come across as hyperbole, but I honestly think people like you are heroes. So thank you, from one anonymous person on the internet, and take as much care as you can.

Wereallsquare · 26/03/2020 09:28

OP, that is indeed a disturbing update. You and your husband are saints.

People can be vulnerable and dangerous at the same time, something those criticising you seem to forget. You may want to consider erring on the side of caution in the future.

Original poster
Upthehillanddownagain · 26/03/2020 09:28

Oh dear. If he knocks on your door again tonight I think you will have to ignore this time.

Sadly we think there's a real chance that he will. When the hostel wouldn't have him, he suggested to DP that he could come back with him.

OP posts:
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