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Feminism: chat

could I have a Criminal record for reporting domestic violence?

26 replies

Sickoffamilydrama · 23/06/2021 17:27

I'm a bit worried that I've got something on my name for reporting domestic violence several times when I was legitimately concerned for a woman and her children's safety.

My old neighbours had a very volatile relationship, with screaming matches, however it was mainly violent talk, threats and lots of slamming about, this included violent sounding talk towards the children.

There was also lots of what I would consider neglect of the their children, we witnessed their toddlers using equipment like trampoline without a net when they were tiny enough for it to be dangerous. The worst was they appeared to let them play in one of those large paddling pools alone. We also had one of the elder children ask us to come into our house after school in middle of winter as they didn't have a coat and it was raining and they'd been locked out, this happened multiple times. There's more but the list is long.

They appeared to be drug users certainly they smoked so much weed particularly near our kids bedroom windows that eventually we complained to the housing association as the children couldn't open their windows in the summer or get to sleep. They did get some kind of community order for this and the smoking stopped they seemed to go for multiple walks a day without the young kids so I assume they smoked it then.

When the arguments and shouting got particularly bad I did report it to the police I can't recall how many times probably 3.

We weren't the only ones to call the police on them other neighbors did too and told us they did.

Anyway I became a bit worried about them targeting us if we called the police, there was one day that was particularly bad shouting and screaming and I was on the phone to my sister (who lives close by) and I said what do I do I can't just leave it as that would be the day he kills one of them. But I'm scared the police will say it was us. They had already thrown eggs at our back windows. So my sister volunteered to report this time.

When my sister called the police after taking her details they said oh it's not you that is reporting this is it it's you sister who lives at X.

So this leads me to think that there's some kind of flag on her's and my name's....also it made me wonder could it be on my record and how do I find out?

If I do have something I will be livid and fight it every inch of the way especially as I probably only reported 1 in every 100 incident that I heard.

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Sickoffamilydrama · 24/06/2021 14:50

Yes they definitely shouldn't have said anything, it made DSis & I worried we were being set up for vindictive reporting, which is far from the case.

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Pigeonorcoot · 24/06/2021 14:42

14:36Sickoffamilydrama

DSis did report them once when she was baby sitting but it was years before this incident

If she called and said "my name is x and I'm currently babysitting at my sister's house at 10 Pudding Lane" then there would be a record of this and the call handler could work it out. They still shouldn't have said anything though.

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Pigeonorcoot · 24/06/2021 14:39

The call handier absolutely should not have said that - it's a massive breach of confidentiality.

As the ex officer said above, there will be a record of any contact you have with police e.g. reporting crimes etc but that does not constitute a "criminal record".

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Sickoffamilydrama · 24/06/2021 14:36

DSis did report them once when she was baby sitting but it was years before this incident.

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Sickoffamilydrama · 24/06/2021 14:31

Just been speaking to DSis and she feels me I haven't explained clearly enough.

She gave her name & address, then the neighbor's address. The call handler then said you didn't hear this though did you? It's your sister who lives at X and gave my details.

DSis and I have different surnames. So is there some kind of flag against DSis & my name and the old neighbor's, is there is WTF.

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Sickoffamilydrama · 24/06/2021 13:30

Thank you all do you know what I am very aware in business about data breaches and have always had professional roles were confidentiality was important but I hadn't thought of it in that way.

I don't know why but phoning the police and reporting them made me nervous every time, unfortunately as I have family who are officers I've lost trust of them over the years.

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TRHR · 24/06/2021 10:49

You won't have a criminal record, you've not committed any crime. Under GDPR and for your own safety police shouldn't be sharing whose made the reports. The police officer sounds really off to make that comment to your sister tbh. Maybe talk to the station and raise your concerns over anonymity?

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CuriousaboutSamphire · 24/06/2021 10:27

What @FlyPassed said. The police have absolutely broken your right to confidentiality.

Have at them ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

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FlyPassed · 24/06/2021 08:08

If I've read your op correctly, your sister called in her own name and the police then spontaneously gave her your name and address?

If so that's a pretty big data protection breach. They can't give out personal details like that. If that is what happened I would definitely raise a complaint.

I worked in a call center years ago and we weren't even allowed to confirm or deny if someone had an account, to an unverified caller.

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Sickoffamilydrama · 23/06/2021 19:31

toocold no she didn't give my details at all, I was already worried after they threw eggs at our back windows that they knew we had reported them so I didn't want my name involved.

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toocold54 · 23/06/2021 18:40

I assume your sister gave them your address and said my sister lives next door and can hear XYZ and they looked at the address on file and put 2 and 2 together. It’s just so they have a record of what’s going on between the couple rather than keeping tabs on you.

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littlbrowndog · 23/06/2021 18:19

It’s a good thing you are doing

Glad that you are doing this for th3 poor children in this

And I can see how you would feel worried by what the police said

Glad you feel more reassured

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Sickoffamilydrama · 23/06/2021 18:09

Thank you all for the reassurance I don't know why I feel uncomfortable about it all. I think perhaps I would be happier if someone had spoken to me or DH to ask what we had heard, obviously I can't know for certain we didn't stand and watch but it seemed like they never did anything.

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Sickoffamilydrama · 23/06/2021 18:00

@GlutenFreeGingerCake

I would be unhappy about the fact that there is so little action to safeguard the children from abuse, and you are now feeling uncomfortable to report your concerns. It seems like they are treating you as a nuisance rather than trying to protect these children. I think I would want to contact social services and talk to them about the fact that it is an on going situation but you have been made to feel hesitant about talking to the police.

This is what angered me all the immediate neighbors knew about them and we used to talk about being worried or disgusted at the language he'd used towards the kids.

I should point out we've moved primarily because we needed more bedrooms but it is nice to not worry about it and feel a moral responsibility to speak up.
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Echobelly · 23/06/2021 17:59

You can't have a criminal record without being charged with something and definitely being made aware of the fact.

Your name could be on record with the police for reporting, but it's not criminal.

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Ineedtogotobednowplease · 23/06/2021 17:57

You do not have criminal record for reporting things. Your details are recorded as the witness/person reporting and linked to the report. This information is visible to operators when they take calls. It makes it quicker and easier to work out the history of an address and how urgent something is.

Whoever spoke to your sister, if they did say what she says they did, they have broken data protection by disclosing your information. You can make a complaint about this. There should be a recording of the call for their supervisor to listen to and confirm what was said.

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Duchess379 · 23/06/2021 17:56

I'm a retired police officer. You do not get a criminal record for reporting your neighbours domestic incidents.
As you have rung police before, your details will pop up on their call system, this is how they thought it was you, not your sister ringing. It's a bit like saving numbers in your mobile phone & when it rings, it shows that your mate 'Sarah' is calling. Similar thing...

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Akire · 23/06/2021 17:56

I suppose they keep records just case. So if you are found murdered and they find out you have rang police about a neighbour 20 times that’s a big flag for them to know where start looking!

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Sickoffamilydrama · 23/06/2021 17:53

@AdelindSchade

No you won't have any kind of record for reporting stuff. If you sister was reporting something why would police say it was you reporting or even know you were her sister unless she told them? Thst doesn't make sense. I'm not sure I really underdstand what you mean here?

That's what I'm thinking she didn't mention me at all but the call handler said your reporting this for your sister aren't you.

The police never came and spoke to us which I was always surprised at.

I wondered whether I could have one of the new non Crime crimes on my record. Possibly paranoid or something about malicious reporting which it most definitely wasn't.
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GlutenFreeGingerCake · 23/06/2021 17:52

I would be unhappy about the fact that there is so little action to safeguard the children from abuse, and you are now feeling uncomfortable to report your concerns. It seems like they are treating you as a nuisance rather than trying to protect these children. I think I would want to contact social services and talk to them about the fact that it is an on going situation but you have been made to feel hesitant about talking to the police.

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AdelindSchade · 23/06/2021 17:47

Sorry I read it again - it does make sense.

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AdelindSchade · 23/06/2021 17:41

No you won't have any kind of record for reporting stuff. If you sister was reporting something why would police say it was you reporting or even know you were her sister unless she told them? Thst doesn't make sense. I'm not sure I really underdstand what you mean here?

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StrawberryLipstickStateOfMind · 23/06/2021 17:40

Please don't worry, you won't have a criminal record for reporting concerns. Your name might be on their records- have the police ever spoken to you in person about what you've had to report?

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GlutenFreeGingerCake · 23/06/2021 17:39

I don't see how you can have a criminal record if you haven't been charged with anything but your name might be mentioned somewhere in their records.

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idontlikealdi · 23/06/2021 17:34

Shirt answer no. They may have you on record for safeguarding that's not a criminal record

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