Letter: Why bother calling the police?
Thursday 3rd March 2011, 6:00AM GMT.
Letter: I was in my home when I heard a house alarm sounding loudly.
I went out to investigate and walked to the house where the alarm was blasting away and then walked back to my home and phoned the police.
What a waste of time that was. I got fed up of waiting and put the phone down as no-one was going to answer.
This was happening in Trench, a few houses away from where a house was robbed the week before while the occupants were in bed. And the police was asking for people to report anything illegal.
What a waste of time phoning the police if they are not going to answer.
It is no wonder crime is rising in Telford.
Name and address supplied
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Police are too busy pulling over innocent drivers, racing their police cars and waiting outside night clubs.
All about success rate of a conviction. And its much easier to convict someone who drunk, or driving without a seat belt than there is in trying to find someone who has robbed a property!!
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If stupid people weren’t committing so many of these ‘lesser’ crimes then the police would be free to deal with the ‘bigger’ crimes.
If you are being drunk and disorderly outside a nightclub, or you are speeding in your car, or driving without a seat belt, or while using a mobile phone, then you are the reason that police aren’t free to respond to burglaries. Think about it.
They cannot choose which crimes they deal with, they have to deal with all of them. If lesser crimes outnumber bigger crimes then they are going to have to spend proportionately more time on the lesser crimes.
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Well said Julian. Too many people are filled with hot air and make absurd statements.
Racing their police cars? please…..
Waiting outside nightclubs….how is that bad?!
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Did you phone 999 or the local number. If 999 then the lack of reaction is indefensible. If the local number the why not ring 999, a burgalry in progress needs swift response.
Lets hope it was a false alarm.
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Have been informed by the police, that they will not respond to an alarm going off, unless you can confirm that you have seen someone suspicious on site.
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Whilst the letter writer is handy with the word ‘was’ and it’s a bit off-putting, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to actually read what they put. The phone didn’t actually get answered.
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People are robbed. Houses are burgled.
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All sadly too true H. Let’s all hope one of them isn’t yours eh? You might just need ‘society’ when ‘society’ comes calling…or could always ring John Major to ask him to come round with his DIY finger print kit. Mind how you go.
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Why bother to comment?! seriously!
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What Peasbody is saying is correct, it is about crime classification, a house isn’t robbed, it’s burgled.
He or she is just pointing out a regular failing of the press that they do not understand the law, you wouldn’t try and tell a doctor their job, why is everybody suddenly Dixon of Dock Green after they’ve seen an episode of The Bill?
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That’s stating the obvious Mr. P,things will only get worse as well with the proposed government cuts,no street lighting Etc.
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robbed
past participle, past tense of rob (Verb)1. Take property unlawfully from (a person or place) by force or threat of force.
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Don’t always rely on Wikipedia or The Ladybird Book of Police Classifications. The following is care of Sussex Police
Definition of Robbery
A person is guilty of robbery if he/she: steals and – immediately before or at the time of doing so, and in order to do so – uses force on any person, or puts or seeks to put any person in fear of being then and there subjected to force.
Definition of Burglary
A person is guilty of burglary if they: enter any building or part of a building as a trespasser with the intention to steal, inflict grievous bodily harm, rape or cause unlawful damage, or having entered any building or part of a building as a trespasser they steal, inflict or attempt to inflict grievous bodily harm.
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I know. There’s a suspicious looking chap in the picture there, for starters.
Best to call 999 and advise them that there’s a suspected burglary taking place in a photograph on the Shropshire Star website.
I’m sure they’ll be on their way to the .jpg in question in a trice.
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lets hope it does not finish up like the states where people resort to dialling 911 for the fire brigade as they know that they are the ONLY emergency service guaranteed to turn up, having 6 fire-fighters is infinitely better than zero Police.
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Police don’t respond to house alarm calls as a matter of course because nationally over 95% of activations have shown to be false; either dodgy wiring, poor quality or faulty equipment/connections or operator error.
There’s few enough bobbies on the streets to go round in any case so I can understand why the policy (which is a Government / ACPO one not something dreamt up around here) is in place.
This is why the ‘Confirmed Alarm Technology’ system was put in place where an alarm signal goes to a control centre or the police after two or three separate sensors are set off, signifying something IS actually happening and its not a fault, error or false alarm.
That said, when you rang the police did you tell them of any signs of a break-in; open doors, broken windows etc – if you did then someone should have been there pdq and if not that is inexcusable.
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Its about right for our police , great at making films though ..
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How many films have you seen with West Mercia Police in ? Not many thats because there isn’t a great deal of major crime in the area.
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Anyone gaining entry to property with the intention of committing a criminal offence should immediately lose all civil rights. Oh dear, did the poor honest burglar trip over my cat, and break his leg? Tough! If it was the US, the burglar would probably collect a bullet instead of a compensation claim handout. Could that be the reason for reduced burglary crime in the US? I don’t agree with any UK citizen being empowered to own and use a firearm, but I do believe that I have the right to defend my home and family from thieves, burglars and other miscreants, without worrying about being sued for assault, or having time to do the crossword before the Police turn up to take away the poor honest burglar, give him a slap with a wet lettuce and then then let him off with another ASBO.
We need some Singapore Law in this country.
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I’ve pointed this out before; according to ACPO and the CPS you do have a right to kill an intruder if you act in ‘reasonable self defence’.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/01_02_05_intruder.pdf
In my case I would take ‘reasonable self defence’ as meaning that I immediately felt my life was in danger – that is, if the burglar did not leave as soon as they knew of my presence.
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At what point do you draw the line?
Are you permitted to murder someone who enters your home because he wanted to steal your Jumbo book of crosswords?
Tabloid hysteria conjures a notion that victim’s rights are diminished to the extent that they should not act when a crime is being committed, but reasonable force is acceptable.
Given that you’re not happy, evidently, with reasonable force, we can only assume you want to employ unreasonable force against your assailant.
As this is clearly not justice, and simply vengeance, perhaps you should take a step back and ask yourself why you hold such a strong viewpoint.
Singapore Law? Sounds like vigilanteism to me, and that’s not a world in which I want to live, and whose values I want to abide by.
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“It is no wonder crime is rising in Telford”……………. move then!
If you felt so sure to call the police then why did you “go out to investigate”? and run the risk of bumping into the suspected burglar who could be carying any number of weapons?
I can only assume (due to you ridiculously stupid actions)that you are not the “sharpest tool in the box” and that you may have dialed the wrong number!
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Why doesn’t the government legalise cannabis and tax it (they’ll make a mint) then the police can spend less time chasing horticultural enthusiasts and get on with solving real crimes.
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“the police can spend less time chasing horticultural enthusiasts”
Because it is well established that “real crimes” of drug cultivation and consumption is linked to other criminal activity, that’s why.
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What makes you think that the average cannabis-purchaser will stop buying from their current dealer, and opt to buy from a shop that will invariably be more expensive due to a levy?
People respond to incentives, the most important of which, is money.
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If you ring about a random house alarm and you get through I think you’ll find that the Police will decline to attend. They only respond to alarms on their database.
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I’m afraid this is wrong. In fact there is no database for house alarms and there hasn’t been for years. If the police attended every report of a house alarm going off then they would have to stop going to assualts, crashes, domestic violence incidents and all the other serious crimes they have to deal with and consume thier time with. Some people need to start living in the real world. The non emergency police number is exactly as it is named, Non- Emergency and it will get answered when an operator is free. Why the woman never dialed 999 is beyond me, she couldn’t have thought it was urgent. People are to fast to slate the Police. They do an excellent job with the resources they have, there is not an endless supply of police offciers!!!!
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I may be going blind but how did you deduce the letter writer was female?
It’s a shame they’ve had a bad experience that might deter them in future. The police invariably rely on the public for information, and I understand fully that all call-takers can be busy at the same time, but perhaps they should be picking up on letters like and responding to them in a reasoned and sympathetic way.
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Police should always respond to a burglary in progress quickly ,that’s why we pay our taxes,It seems right not to respond to an alarm going off unless people are sure that it is a real burglary,people spotted at the property etc.
With the cuts in policing we are now facing we have got to expect a reduction in service.
Police have got to ensure that an emergency response is maintained at all costs.
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At last someone with a sensible and realistic view. Well said P.T
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Seems sensible that if nothing to corroborate an offence is seen then they don’t go.
Meanwhile the officers can spend their precious time placating Mr Meldrew complaining about next doors children playing in the garden whilst he’s trying to watch the eigth re-run of Flog It!
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Drunken youths destroying my double glazing at 8 o’clock at night, police response–a crime reference number to give to my buildings insurance company. 10 o’clock same night my car trashed by same youths, police response–another crime reference number to give to my motor insurance company and a promise to send someone out within the next few days. Total damage £1800 and one visit from police 48 hours later.Apparently I should have braved the incoming rocks and bricks and enquired their names and addresses,and taken their mugshot photographs. No further comments needed!
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do we get a reduction in council tax for a non attendance by the police
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An Englishman’s home is his castle so if you choose to enter it and steal items and cause alarm to the owner this government should give full protection to the householder and no protection to the thief.
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I may be going blind but how did you deduce the letter writer was female?
It’s a shame they’ve had a bad experience that might deter them in future. The police invariably rely on the public for information, and I understand fully that all call-takers can be busy at the same time, but perhaps the police should be picking up on letters like and responding to them in a reasoned and sympathetic way.
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Then perhaps the author of the letter should address these concerns to the police directly, rather than the local newspaper. At least in that way something might get done about it, if part of the problem might be that the police are too stretched to be able to attend all the calls they receive then they’re hardly likely to have time to read the Star’s letters page and website, are they?
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The answer’s in the letter: The writer has tried to contact the police and having failed now has the “why bother” attitude, which I take to mean they would not consider calling the police to complain.
I suspect someone somewhere in the police takes a great interest in what the local press prints.
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Looking at the image supplied with the story the biggest crime must be those curtains!
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I reported a burglary in progress a few winters back. It took place shortly after midnight when criminals attacked the retail premises next door.
I watched through the bedroom window as thieves smashed the shop window with a breeze block and were looting the cigarettes and other high value goods.
I dialled 999 and asked for the police. I explained that I was witnessing a burglary in progress. I was still watching the thieves through the window as I talked to the operator on the phone.
The operator demanded to know “is it a life-or-death situation?… is there a risk to anyone’s life?”
I said, “well, no, but it’s a burglary in progress. they’re robbing a shop as we speak”..
The operator told me that since it wasn’t an emergency, I must re-dial the (non-emergency) 0300 number for West Mercia Police instead.
I redialled and got the message that “your call is important to us, please hold”.
As I waited for another operator to answer, the burglars escaped in a car, probably a stolen one.
A couple of police officers arrived at the crime scene about half an hour later to find the place robbed. They informed the keyholder, who arrived in minutes.
The police officers refused to enter the shop themselves because they said someone might still be hidden in there. They called for a police dog unit which didn’t arrive for several more hours.
By this time it was 4.30am. The dog unit eventually turned up and the animal was sent in through the broken window to search. Unsurprisingly, the search found no one.
I later learned that the thieves had committed a string of similar crimes in the area, including the burglary of a DIY store and a secondary school.
The shop owner was furious to learn of the poor police response since he has to pay around £1000 a year for the police to attend when the alarm is activated.
The lesson learned is not to report crimes unless they directly affect you. The inconvenience of giving statements to the police, the stress of it all, and the risk of intimidation should the case ever get to court, is really not worth the grief.
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My late Aunty was in a bank in Black Fen,Kent many years ago and there was an armed robbery.
She was told to lie on the floor by a masked man with a gun but she said “not likely I’ll never get up again!” (She was a very large lady) She ran outside to my uncle sitting in the car and told him. He sped off in panic then stopped and rang the police but was told he would have to wait for someone to be available. In the end he gave up. My Aunty was approached going into the bank later that week as they recognised her on the CCTV (she’d have been difficult to miss, bless her)
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