Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Legal matters

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have any legal concerns we suggest you consult a solicitor.

Malicious Call to the Police

84 replies

KellyBZ · 09/12/2019 22:49

This evening my household had a visit from the police. It caught me completely off guard as I was in my kitchen engrossed in a telephone conversation with a girlfriend (talking about my brothers mental health, and my MP offering to help him out).

I turned around to face the living room and was completely taken aback to see a police officer in my living room and another following behind.

I was totally dumb struck, as I didn't even hear the door knock or hear my partner answer the door.

They were attending a call regarding a domestic disturbance... a domestic disturbance that didn't exist.

Anyway, they could probably see the shock on my face, and heard me quickly explaining and hanging up on my friend. (who had only left mine an hour before, after having spend the day with me, her sister and her baby).

They could see that my partner had sat back down to continue what he was doing, which was changing our baby's nappy whilst watching Question Time on the TV.

I told them it was a malicious call, most likely from the neighbour, as.....

The neighbour did called the police last night, whilst we were, admittedly having an argument over DIY.

I accept that yesterday, we were arguing quite loudly for about 10 minutes, and our voices were further raised because the baby was having an (infrequent) bad evening with her teething and she was crying for that reason, her crying was adding to our stress of the DIY and decorating, as did the spilt bucket of paper paste that went all over the carpet. So yeah, there was a brief spell of yelling.

The police came out, saw that we were decorating, saw that the baby was fine (she had settled down) and they left, leaving us a warning about noise complaints.

Anyway, me & my partner have been having serious communication issues and there is probably a loud argument at least once a week. We're aware that it's not good, and we're working on an action plan to improve the situation. Our relationship is currently in crisis. However there is no domestic violence, no smashing of things, just two people arguing. I can accept that she might be fed up of the arguing, I don't appreciate that her first point of call being the police when she could just approach us herself.

She seems like a busy body anyway, as she leaves notes on peoples car telling them not to park in front of her drive, when she doesn't actually have a drive, she has a front garden like everybody else - and she doesn't even drive so has no car to park!

I feel like she taken a dislike to us (dur), as she pointedly slams her windows and doors if I walk past her house or walk into my back garden. She also plays Opera music really loudly at between 12-2am in her bedroom with is joined to ours, I'm pretty sure she's doing it to piss us off - but I let it slide.

I didn't take last nights call to the police too personally, as we did have an argument, and last week and the week before I had an issue with my mentally unwell brother turning up here, and with the police dropping him off to me as he's schizophrenic and homeless. I've had to call the police to remove him once, and he's yelled outside my house a few times. I feel like this has contributed to her anger and her need to raise a complaint.

She probably thinks the incidents with my brother were incidents with my partner, as her blinds are always down, she wouldn't have seen any differently.

Anyway, this evening, I can promise everybody on my life that there have been no arguments or raised voices in this house. I had a good day, all things considered. Yet she's just felt the need to make a completely malicious call about a made up event - I'm just left in disbelief.

No doubt she wanted to trigger some reaction from me, but instead I called the non-emergency police ton make to report the fact this was a completely made up event - unfortunately the call handler guy was as snotty as can be and basically called me a liar, and said its their job to attend calls. I said I don't dispute that fact, but this event is 110% made up and now do I have to live in fear of false allegations?

I have a baby at home (who is perfectly safe and well loved), now I have to live with this hanging over my head. I'm not worried about the Social being called because I know I'll pass their assessment - I'm a perfectly adequate parent, relationship troubles aside. But I'm fuming that all it's takes is a malicious person to bring these services into your life.

What do I do about this neighbour? The police guy said he'd get a case manager to call me back, but he was completely condescending.

OP posts:
Aycharow · 09/12/2019 22:54

So if she had called the police the previous day, or on a previous occasion when you were having an argument, would that have been ok?

To be honest, it does seem that you aren't exactly the sort of neighbours people yearn for...

Wildorchidz · 09/12/2019 22:58

What do I do about this neighbour

Maybe stop having regular yelling matches.

BettyJean · 09/12/2019 23:01

Yes, she sounds like a busy body but you also sound as though you are disturbing her peace and quiet, in her own home.

Did the police confirm which neighbour contacted them? Given the events that you describe, it could have been anyone on your road.

Ginger1982 · 09/12/2019 23:04

So you have loud arguments at least once a week, you've had the police round to remove your brother and he's been shouting outside too?

Glad you're not my neighbours!

KellyBZ · 09/12/2019 23:08

Well it's not like I want my mentally unwell brother at mine, but I can't help it if the police drop him off or he just turns up.

I said the weekly arguments aren't good, but this event is completely made up -so could somebody address that.

OP posts:
BettyJean · 09/12/2019 23:09

I reported my neighbours, in my last place. It turns out I was one of three neighbours who had complained about the same thing, independently of each other.

The neighbours in question were having huge blazing rows every night at 11pm, went on for hours and it woke their two children up. Children crying and being ignored. Someone may have noticed you have a child and asked the police to do a welfare check on your child - I would, if I was your neighbour.

KellyBZ · 09/12/2019 23:10

Also, no the police didn't confirm which neighbour - but the one on the left is vacant, and I know that our arguments can't be heard anywhere other than through the party wall - they aren't arguments that spill into the street, they are confined to our living room.

OP posts:
Ginger1982 · 09/12/2019 23:11

"I said the weekly arguments aren't good, but this event is completely made up -so could somebody address that."

Perhaps you should focus more on working with your partner to stop having the rows in the first place.

BettyJean · 09/12/2019 23:13

Someone could regularly walk past and hear you arguing. Your brother showing up doesn’t sound like it would be a quiet affair either. By the sounds of things, it could be anyone in the vicinity. The police are obliged to come and check on the child, if a welfare concern is reported.

KellyBZ · 09/12/2019 23:13

So it's okay for somebody to make up a domestic that didn't exist, completely maliciously?

OP posts:
Aycharow · 09/12/2019 23:14

could somebody address that

Someone walking their dog hears commotion coming from a house in your street but cannot pinpoint which one. Calls cops. Cops check their records and see that your house has been visited by them before. They do a welfare check.

KellyBZ · 09/12/2019 23:14

Obviously a passer by wouldn't invent an event - so the most likely culprit is next door.

OP posts:
Teachermaths · 09/12/2019 23:16

Did they make it up though or did the police just respond a day late?!

Sounds like you aren't fun to live next to. Also all this arguing isn't good for the baby.

KellyBZ · 09/12/2019 23:16

The police have only been called to this address once before by myself, to remove my brother - I can't see how that could be held against me .
The services are the ones who keep dumping him on me (whilst I've been making all sorts of calls to the MH team & social services to get him the help the support he needs).

OP posts:
BettyJean · 09/12/2019 23:18

Regular arguments, yelling, baby crying. Mentally unwell male causing a commotion outside. Police being called.

A lot of people could have noticed this and reported it.

KellyBZ · 09/12/2019 23:19

I don't appreciate the fact that you(s) are basically calling me a liar.
Which I know happens so frequently on this site.

There was no domestic or raised voices today. I've explained what we were both doing at the time. I now have a neighbour on my hands who isn't beneath making up false allegations.

For the love of God can somebody address that issue.
That's what I'm asking about.

OP posts:
BettyJean · 09/12/2019 23:20

My point is, that you are making an assumption about who called the police. You don’t know it was definitely the neighbour that you dislike.

Wtfdoipick · 09/12/2019 23:22

You do not know that it was the neighbour, you need to let it go.

KellyBZ · 09/12/2019 23:24

I know that there was no event taking place today, contrary to the police report. So I know that somebody has invented an event to make a malicious call - I know that it's most likely the busy body next door.

It won't have been a passer by as there was no event. I highly doubt it was any other neighbours as again there was no event, and I can't imagine anyone other than the neighbour next door going to the lengths to lie about said non-event. To the point of calling out an emergency response for absolutely nothing.

If you could suspend you disbelief for a moment and believe what I'm saying, that would be helpful.

OP posts:
ChorleyFMcominginyourears · 09/12/2019 23:27

The thing is, if they reported you yesterday when you WERE shouting at each other it wasnt made up was it? The police just took their time to get to you.

Wtfdoipick · 09/12/2019 23:28

I am not saying I disbelieve you I am only saying that you do not know for definite that it was that neighbour so you need to let it go

Wildorchidz · 09/12/2019 23:30

Hi

Wildorchidz · 09/12/2019 23:30

The thing is, if they reported you yesterday when you WERE shouting at each other it wasnt made up was it? The police just took their time to get to you.

This is the most likely scenario.

ReallyLoveChickens · 09/12/2019 23:30

Police sometimes respond to calls via ‘slow response. Basically a low priority response.

So, your neighbour may have reported you during your argument and they have only now been able to respond.

Aycharow · 09/12/2019 23:31

How do you know that it was them who reported your argument the previous time?