I'm in complete and utter shock about this accusation

[chichi2026]

I don't want to bore everyone with the background (or out myself). Basically, I have been on the receiving end of a long campaign of harassment by my immediate neighbour. I was finally able to give a statement to police at the end of last year - then a few weeks later, her behaviour escalated to racism in January this year and after more waiting, she was charged with racially aggravated harassment. I have no choice but to continue living opposite her and it's been a few months of hell, but at least the Court date is finally approaching later this month. We live in social housing and the landlord has recently (after much lobbying on my part) decided to start legal proceedings against her. It's good news, but too little too late as the impact on me has been horrendous - and I'll probably lose my job as a result of it.

This tenant is younger than me and not the brightest - but she is extremely manipulative and has involved a couple of her friends (also neighbours) to increase the pressure of the harassment on me. It's taken me such a long time to get anyone to believe me about the ongoing situation and I personally feel that I have been disbelieved due to unconscious bias by the housing association. I try to see the best in people and I don't want to think this but I have so many examples of when I have been treated differently in very comparable situations.

My neighbour's friend was out in the garden at just after 3am today and was making a lot of noise. I opened my bedroom window and said (not shouted as I didn't want to wake everyone up) that she was being loud and could she please stop. This neighbour is very aware that her friend is due in Court this month for Racially Aggravated Harassment.

She responded by shouting "what?" and then got her phone out and started filiming (I wasn't, I was just speaking out the window). She started walking towards the area under my window. She then suddenly shouted, "what did you say, did you just call me a white bitch?"

I was totally confused and said no, what was she on about, then she started raising her voice, repeating the accusation loudly whilst still filming. She started fake crying and then looked at me and smirked. I then called 999 to report what had happened.

I can't believe it would be that easy to accuse someone of that and there is unlikely to be any meaningful police response to that. How do I trust the police as a woman of colour, knowing that we are statistically likely to be mistreated, yet the far right have now made out that the police don't care about white people because mistakes were made around one recent situation?

There is a two tier issue and it definitely isn't in the favour of ethnic minority people. If the dickheads protesting didn't attack the police they would have a much easier life.

Nobody wants to hear the reality. Brown or black people who report a crime are not going to get a blue light response. I rang 999 an hour and a half ago and have had nothing from them, even though I said that this person is likely to leave the area. That means that they can leave and I get no justice.

You're spot on about resourcing, @Hokeyjokey . It's so rare to see a police officer on patrol where I live that it's a memorable event.

The police force where I live covers 2 counties and a city. Their focus is understandably on the city and 6 large towns, of which 4 are busy coastal resorts. There is a lot more crime and ASB there, so it's fair enough to concentrate resources where the problems are.

But it does mean that there's sod all left to cover the rest of the county. The local police division covers 4 towns plus a large rural area with numerous villages, and has a population of over 100k. At night, when we used to have 3 pairs of officers on patrol, we now have just 2 officers on duty at night in the entire division. If they nick someone, they have to take them to the custody suite 8 miles away, and while they're doing that, we have no police at all and they have to come in from neighbouring divisions if they are needed.

My Croydon-dwelling MIL refused to believe me when I told her that our police station is now only open from 10am - 2pm, 3 days a week (was 10-7, six days a week). I had to show her the details on the force's website before she'd accept it wasn't a wind-up!

I think it's entirely understandable that people get pissed off to hear that the police are being called about things that aren't really criminal matters.

That doesn't negate the threat

And it's done now

And I'm sure she wishes she didn't do it.

She obviously underestimated the threats against her.

None of that negates the seriousness of the threat now, or whether or not she is worthy of protection / action from the police. Not 999 response I agree, but a serious response to a video being manipulated to accuse the OP of something that is currently, actively invciting real violence.

Sure

Call a locksmith not the police if you're locked out of your house

But would you log it with the police and expect the appropriate support if someone was making videos of you that attempted to show "evidence" that you were a paedo?

Because you should in that case. And in the OPs case also.

Or wait until it's uploaded and there's a brick through her window?

You’re absolutely correct, I know only what you typed. And that’s what I responded to.

It’s quite ironic that you are so incensed that I said I found your account hard to believe, yet you’d just called my post nonsense, think about that.

I’d love to know why my reply to that has been removed MNHQ, I was perfectly polite. Aren’t we allowed to have sensible debate?

I'd report it via 101 as it's not an emergency.

And they wouldn't be videoing me anyway, because I'd be tucked up in bed with my earplugs in and not engaging with them.

But to be clear…. This video will show not one drop of evidence of you being racist. Only her being dramatic. So you don’t need to worry and seem a bit peculiar of her to film it if genuinely nothing to film

You directly accused me of lying because my post didn’t fit your narrative.

‘polite debate’ my arse.

Well certainly the second instance you mention is a shed burglary, not a dwelling burglary, even if ongoing at the time of 999 call would be graded as less of a risk than a dwelling burglary.
You still shouldn’t have been admonished for calling 999 though, I would if I witnessed the same thing.

I said “sensible debate” and that I was perfectly polite, which I was.

It’s fair enough for you to not like what I said, or to be pissed off about it even, but that doesn’t mean I was being unpleasant.

Well a few posts back you called several of us ‘unmitigated dicks’ for airing our opinion

is that’s your idea of perfectly pleasant?

You directly accused me of lying.

you have a very strange understanding of being ‘unpleasant’.

also, just to be clear, if I catch someone red handed breaking into mine or a neighbour’s outbuilding, and removing valuable items, I just go inside the house and report that online, do I?

No, you would call 999. Which is exactly what I said in my reply, that I would also call 999 in those circumstances. The response I’d get would be no different to the response you got though.

The video behaviour shows that they are trying to portray her as racist.

Do you think that braying mobs really use a lot of discernment when it comes to "evidence" posted online when they're already all riled up!

No it's not evidence they could use in court or to the police, but it would be plenty evidence enough to send strangers after her

There’s a difference between airing an opinion and telling the OP that she’s misused the 999 system and that she has brought it on herself etc etc. Because that is just needlessly….dickish.🤷‍♀️

And when I referred to being pleasant I was referring to my conversation with one particular poster.

And I got told in a sarcastic voice that 999 is ‘only for matters of life and death’ and that I should report it online.

so that’s the process is it? Seriously?

honestly mate, stop digging

Next time record anything you say to them so that they can't turn it around on to you.

What do you mean by stop digging? Was I digging?

The fact is, 999 is absolutely not just for matters of life and death. Nowhere near. And this is not how that would’ve been dealt with in my force, I can say that with certainty.

You don’t have to believe me. That’s fair enough, you’ve had a couple of really negative experiences with the police, but that’s not the usual procedure, I can assure you.

Why is it dickish? If that is my actual opinion, and this is a debate forum, why shouldn’t I be able to say so?
Just because I don’t agree with you, it doesn’t mean you should resort to childish name calling and it doesn’t make me a dick

Exactly

Because for one it’s incorrect to tell OP that she’s misusing the system, and that can have dangerous implications. (I don’t know if if was you, I mean generally)

If you’re upset about me saying those posters were behaving like dicks then I apologise.

It isn’t incorrect as a fact

you think it’s incorrect

a HUGE difference between the two and the arrogance you display on the point given your job is concerning

@Hokeyjokey, you do realise that, once you’ve shared that you’re a police officer, you’re effectively here in a professional capacity?

and you’ve proceeded to slander everyone you don’t agree with as either ‘liars’ or ‘dicks’.

you’re not exactly dispelling any stereotypes, are you?

Damn good point.

And I find @Hokeyjokey blind arrogance disturbing given she he is a police officer

I’m in no way upset by your language - I’m no shrinking wallflower!
Your attempt to shut down posters who don’t agree with you however by shouting abuse at them however…..
Freedom of speech is still a thing right? And this is a forum where multiple opinions are encouraged. No one was abusive to the OP, just pointed out her part in this mess and how ridiculous it was to assert that a white person would have received a blue light response where she did not, claiming she spent 90 minutes trying to get the police to do so.

Im a white female, 20 years ago I was living in a block of flats, 1 of the flats below me had at least 10 men of a certain country, which I wont disclose for obvious reasons.
These men made my life absolute hell day and night, they smashed my windows, kicked my ront door in twice, and each time I left or returned to the building they would be waiting outside, shouting abuse and saying they will machete me to death, amoung lots of other comments, like I was an english, white cock sucking bitch (one of their more politer chants)
My point is, the police did absolutely nothing about this even though I had masses of proof it was happening. Id go to the police station which was close to where I lived,
in quite a state sometimes, eventually I had no choice but to move out as I was terrified for my life.
Im really very sorry this is happening to you as I remember exactly how that awful stressful nauseous feeling is like.
But im not convinced the police are less attentive toward people of colour or ethnic minorities, even if doesnt feel that way.
Best of luck at the trial, and hopefully these bullies will get what they deserve