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Should I let the police give them a warning?
(68 Posts)A couple of days ago there was a ring on my door, a strange young man was standing there and in a most aggressive manner asked me to move my car as he could not get his £11,000 car into his parking. When I asked why he had such an aggressive attitude he turned his back and said just move your car.
My car was in my personal parking and there was actually plenty of room, when I said so this man said yes but when you drive out you will hit my £9000(?) car. I replied that I actually had a driver's license!
It then went from bad to worse, his boyfriend came over and the two of them were like bristling dogs. The first man then said he was a trainee policeman, well, I said, you should know better and it's appalling that the two of you are ganging up and bullying an old woman like me.
The long and short of it was, a neighbour advised me to call 101 and report the matter to the police as I live alone and these two men live right next door.
This I did and found to my surprise that they took it seriously and will be coming round to take a statement.
My question here is should I let the police give them a warning or just let it be and have the incident on record in case anything further occurs?
I'm just afraid of what they might do if they know the police are involved.
Well done you. This so called trainee police officer is probably nothing of the sort. He is just threatening and bullying you trying to stop you from reporting him. If he is telling the truth then he will definitely have a black mark against his record and will probably never make it into the police force. The police are public servants and should not act in this way. Good Luck. Please mention to the police about your fears of retaliation by them.
Well done you and I agree with everyone else let the police decide.
After this incidence is dealt with by the police - and I would suggest you do whatever they advise - keep a diary of anything these young men do thereafter that is either directly threatening or intended to annoy (noise, parties, bonfires) and do not hesitate to go back to the police with the diary. Harassment is a crime.
I have the same situation with a new neighbour who made himself very unpopular within a week of moving in. He regularly blocked my garage and my drive with his huge van. He told me I shouldn't be driving ( nearly 50 years without an accident) and I have a mini bus licence !
He walked into another neighbours house and threatened and swore at the neighbour's 17 yr old daughter over where she had legitimately parked her car.
I took photos of his van and kept a log of every incident. Eventually I called the police as I was frightened by his aggressive attitude. Like you, I was surprised that they listened and offered help. I told them I just wanted it logged for now. They said call again if he does anything else aggressive to me.
Don't let these people bully you.
All the very best.
I had a similar situation to this. I posted it on here "Neighbour problem". When the Police came, I did not find them at all helpful, they went to the neighbour first and she told a different story, all lies of course. They came to me and said that "there were two sides to every story". I felt they sided with her because she was in a similar profession to them. She had shouted at me that "she worked with the Police" insinuating that therefore they would not do anything.
I felt that the police sided with her although a few days later a neighbour further down the road who had seen what happened on his CCTV got in touch with the police himself. Female Police Officer said that the CCTV that had been fitted for me should not be showing the roadway. I did wonder what use the Police would make of it if it was required by them.
I would definately get CCTV fitted though it is really a security for me. Just hope the Police do not sit on the fence on this one. I have lost confidence in them.
The first man then said he was a trainee policeman
Two possibilities - he is, or he isn't.
If he is, then he doesn't sound as if he has the temperament to be a police officer and the sooner they terminate his employment the better, before he takes that attitude into a policing situation. He could cause a great deal of harm.
If he isn't, then the police will treat very seriously his impersonating a police officer. It is a crime.
Never let anyone bully you - it's terrible behaviour and you don't need to put up with it.
A few years ago I advertised an electric saw for sale locally, the chap turned up, had a go with it and agreed that it was what he wanted.
Days later he phoned to say it was no longer working and he wanted a refund. I told him it was working fine when he bought it. At 2am the following morning there was a hammering on the door and it was the said chap dressed in a police uniform demanding his 10 quid back. I shut the door on him and rang the police.
To their credit they arrived in minutes. I was asked if I had noted his number on his uniform shoulder, I had and noted there was not one, neither did I have his address, but I did have his home phone number. Within minutes again they had traced his address, by the time this bully had returned home there was a squad car waiting outside his house to arrest him.
Turned out that he was a Special Constable in his spare time hence the uniform.
He was prosecuted and chucked out of the Specials and then had a criminal record to boot.
So yes, the police take this very seriously and you were right to report this.
Definitely let the police decide.
Well done you, you stood up to bullies and should be proud of yourself. I know it must be a worry for you now but I would just tell the police exactly what happened, tell them of your concerns and take their advice as to any future action. I would also be inclined to write everything down now while it's still fresh in your mind in case there's a delay before they visit.
So sorry you have such a rude neighbor. My only worry is that he has a partner who may be willing to support his version of the facts. Be prepared for these hoodlums to fabricate a story to their advantage.
Going forward, I would install a hidden security camera covering the vicinity of my front door and ideally, a second one pointing at my car.
You may also want to take detailed pictures (with date and time stamp) of your car in its current condition in case it gets vandalized. Should your car get moved or stolen, GPS technology has the capability of showing where your car has been and for how long.
The Police may ask you how you wish to proceed, and give you the option as to what to do. It might be a warning to be more considerate or it may be something stronger. At the end of the day they used unnecessary "force" to try to make you do what they wanted and they need stopping.
Most police officers keep quiet about their jobs because people with a grudge against the police might take it out on them or their family. That's why I'd suspect the young man of lying about being a 'trainee' policeman. They are trained to be discreet.
You did the right thing. There approach and attitude is all wrong - it is harrassment.
Make sure you tell the policeman that interviewed you that one of them is claiming to be a 'trainee policeman'. He could just be using this as a means of threatening people.
I haven't read the whole thread so apologise if I'm relating something.
I think that if you've told the police it is up to them to decide.
You made the right call when you rang the police and you need to follow it through. You can ask the PCOS to act sensitively if they are neighbours but at least the bullies will know that you won't stand for it. Good luck
I think that once the police have' marked their card' they will think twice about crossing you again! Go Sorcerer!
Under no circumstances allow yourself to be bullied or intimidated by these low life yobs. It’s good that you have contacted the police the police will do a background check on these idiots to find out who they are and whether they have any history of this sort of thing or anything else that might be of interest. The police will not need to speak to them to find the information there are ways and means. On the other hand the police may want to speak to them and if one is saying he is a trainee police officer [ probably a lie] it is a criminal offence to impersonate a police officer trainee or not. If you have an allocated parking space for your address then as long as you parked within it you are not causing anyone a problem.
Sourcerer48, what a brilliant role model you are for standing your ground so assertively. Always best to take action with bullies immediately to nip it in the bud and show your strength. My only concern is that it is a PCSO coming to see you. Better than no one and many are excellent and better than full PCs but if you have any doubts about his/her actions, don’t leave it there.
Could you take photographs of the parking bays, preferably with the cars parked, so that the space between cars can be seen? Have your neighbours got one of those Chelsea tractors? They need 2 parking spaces rather than one! Horrible situation to be in especially with next door neighbours. Maybe they'll move to somewhere with their own large drive!
Sorry,
should have read merlotgran!
Merlot Grans - thanks for remembering my thread and although I do live in a complex all the houses are either owned or rented, as is mine from a private landlord.
Thanks, DaisyMig: re the strange young man being a neighbour. A woman and her son in his twenties live next door (my house is the middle of 3 terraced houses), this other man apparently moved in with him a few months ago, although I had never actually seen him face to face which is why he was a stranger to me.
This is harassment and intimidation and you have def done the right thing. If they can behave like that instead of common civility they will probably be the types that get off on bulling people, so let the Police deal with them. If he genuinely is a trainee police officer then he seriously needs to sort his attitude out.
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