Police broke into my home - any advice?

[NA1988]

Hello, I'm uncertain if this is the appropriate platform for seeking advice, but I would appreciate any guidance you can offer.
During the early hours of the morning, the police forcefully entered my home and apprehended my husband. To provide a brief overview, around 5 am, a group of 10-15 officers forcefully entered my residence, breaking down two doors in the process. The entire incident unfolded in the presence of me and our four children, making it an extremely traumatic experience. Following the entry, my husband was arrested upstairs and brought downstairs (in handcuffs). we were detain upstairs. Downstairs my husband was asked his name and to confirm our address. It was at this point that the officers realized they had mistakenly targeted the wrong address. Subsequently, my husband was uncuffed, and the entire team of officers vacated our premises. The damaged doors were boarded up, and we were advised to file a claim. While we have received payment for the doors, we are now seeking further redress for the trespass, violation of privacy, arrest/detainment, trauma. Our youngest child is 8 years old, and our eldest is 14. I would like to inquire about what aspects I can seek compensation for and at what estimated value.

I will be consulting a solicitor, however haven't had good experience in the past, so if I can I will handle the claim myself.

This happened in West Midlands UK

Thank you

wrong house on correct street.

Name changed for this as extremely outing. But my oh was pulled over in the car and arrested and cuffed in front of our children. He was told he was being arrested for attempted murder, he’d apparently stabbed someone 5 times with a machete and hit them over the head with a hammer. All this was caught on cctv where they watched the attack, and watched him come out of his apartment with the weapons, and run back in after. He was arrested around 8am, I heard nothing from him until he came home around 10pm. His solicitor had gone to the police station and they sat down to do the interview and review the footage. The apartment the person had come from was one my oh had briefly lived in 16 years before. And the attacker was approx 6ft 2, black, and had what can best be described as a ginger Afro. My partner is 5ft 4, white, with black short back and sides. You couldn’t fucking make this up. I hope you get some justice op, as we didn’t

If they going to arrest a fellow officer I expect them to know that's exactly who they intend to arrest in advance....

I don't think I said they knew who they were going to arrest. The idea that all you have to do is flash your warrant card and the officers who have just broken in will just blush and leave is laughable.

Quite possible the sergeant identified themselves, asked some questions and cleared up a misunderstanding but that isn't what the was said.

@Iwasafool well I clearly sat there and wasted my time writing that, because you were there weren’t you? 😏

They need to make sure any structural damage caused to the house is completely fixed, as quickly as possible, and they need to direct you to free-of-charge counselling services if you need it.

Because they would have known it was the wrong person, as they would have known if it were an officer beforehand. Not for "magical protection"

and damage to the property?????

How are your children still having nightmares if it only happened this morning?

she didn't say it was 'this morning' - I don't think the OP is terribly unclear at all but she specifically said November.

The police themselves might be able to offer trauma counselling.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think I'd welcome trauma counselling from the people who had deliberately caused the trauma.

And I don't buy at all that it was a genuine mistake. You might rely on Google Maps if you're delivering a takeaway or parcel (although not at 5am) and hope you'll be told if you actually need next door/the flat above or whatever.

It's frightening that anybody - several people in fact - are considered fit to be in the police when they can't even read a number on a door.

Using such aggressive force without even making simple, obvious checks that you've got the right address is gross misconduct.

Surely deliberately subjecting somebody to such an invasive assault that has nothing whatsoever to do with their role as police - which is what it is when they choose a random address with no known/suspected criminal living there - should be a crime in itself?

The poster said the sergeant was there with the OPs husband, we don't even know if the sergeant lived there or was just visiting her friend. If it was the OPs husband they were after why would they know that another officer was going to be present and if they are going to arrest someone or raid somewhere they will do it even if a police officer is present.

Well if you seriously expect me to believe that all the officer had to do was show their warrant card and the officers blushed and left I have to tell you I wasn't born yesterday.

Why should OP have to downplay the seriousness of the traumatic ordeal that the police subjected her family to, just for the benefit of people who only bother to read a thread title before wading in?

'Police got the wrong address' could have just been them knocking and respectfully making routine doorstep enquiries about an illegally-parked car that actually belongs to a neighbour or something. OP's title was completely accurate to reflect the seriousness of what happened.

I'm far from trigger-happy when it comes to litigation in general, but I would absolutely take this as far as you can, in the hope of effecting a change in practice, as well as the compensation you should be entitled to. My children would have been utterly traumatised by this, and the effects of that can be long-lasting. Mistakes happen in every profession, but the carelessness of doing something as dramatic as breaking down doors without bothering to double-check you have the right house suggests a total ignorance of the effects of their actions on civilians, and callousness as well as incompetence. I think you should seek proper legal advice, OP. Best of luck.

She said it happened in November?

Awful, I hope you get a genuine apology and some counselling. Tell me they already fixed the doors???

I live on a cliff, set back obviously but at one time google maps showed our address as actually being on the cliffs!

The old bill would have jumped to their death in the sea if they had followed google maps to find my husband.

It's showing correctly now.

I am not one for compensation but in this instance this was complete and utter negligence akin to the Keystone Cops!

Using google maps to find an address is embarrassing and they should be held to account.

There's a house in Birmingham that has been incorrectly raided over 40 times. It's a Number 10 Mumsnet Drive vs Number 10 Mumsnet Grove situation. Apparently the houses are only a few hundred metres apart.

Absolute madness.

Anyway yes, they sued!

That sounds horrific and terrifying.

Compensation to make money doesn't seem justified. I would think they have a duty to provide counselling and pay for any damages.

I really hope your children settle, awful situation for them to be in (and you and DH!)

This happened to me at 5 in the morning many years ago got drug raided by police.
I was a single mum my two children 12 -14 at the time police running all over the home.
I kid you not my very first words where WTF is going on your gonna pay for that door.
They got the wrong home.
I did tell one of the officers i do have guns but i am licensed.
My children and me were not scared just stunned .
I got a new door no claims made couldnt be bothered with that.
Kids didnt have nightmares about it.

I experienced the police getting the wrong address when I lived in my previous address. They knocked on my door, asked for a man whose name I had never heard of. I asked if they where looking for flat 3 which they where, they apologised and went.
They did not cause damage to my property, they did not scare the shit out of me or leave me traumatise.
I think the title is appropriate and would be misleading if it was changed.

I have known this happen and the police obviously pay to repair the damage.
They haven't provided additional money so I don't know how far OP would get with trying that.

My ex was arrested by armed police at home late one night. A cyclist had been shot by a BB gun.
They had got the house number wrong but didnt realised until the early hours. My ex had been in custody most of the night. The police said sorry, gave him a cup of tea and sent him on his way - they didnt even give him a lift home!

I'm ex police. I have planned and executed operations just like the one described - except I've never got the wrong address because I've done my due diligence on making sure I've correctly identified the address and the person. The sort of mistake described here has entered into historical legend in every police force and no police officer is unaware of the risk. Mistakes happen but they need to be good faith mistakes, not careless ones, if the police expect to keep public confidence.

The fact there were 10-15 officers there (highly unusual in itself) suggests a high stakes job which was pre-planned. In which case the briefing should really have included familiarisation with the target address.

I'm sorry that this happened to you @NA1988 and yes, you definitely should be recompensed for the damage and put in touch with counselling services (which will be independent of the police).