Just had the coppers round

There I was, fast asleep in bed, when the wife woke me up to tell me the coppers were coming down our drive, having turned up with the lights and siren going. Then there's a determined knock at the door.

I threw some clothes on and came down, bleary eyed, to see what they want.

As soon as I open the door, they barge in, not waiting for an invite and demand to know who is in the house:

Me: Just me, my wife and my son.
Copper1: Can we speak to them now!
Me: You can speak to my wife, but I'm not getting my 2 year old son up for you.
Copper2: Is she decent?

He then sets off up to the bedroom without waiting for an answer, and I get ushered into the living room by copper1.

Copper1 (Looking at me accusingly): What happened here last night sir?
Me: Well, we had tea, I played with my son for a while, then we went to bed.
Copper1: Anything else sir [still scowling at me]
Me: No, not really. Did you have anything particular in mind?
Copper1: Had a bit of a domestic have we sir?
Me: No.
Copper1: Are you sure sir?
Me: Yes. What do you think has happened?
Copper1: You haven't had an argument and got a bit carried away sir?
Me: No.
Copper1: We've had a call from this address, that there's been some trouble here.
Me: Not from this address there hasn't. What did you think has happened?

Copper1 just stares at me accusingly. I just stare back.
At this point my wife, now clearly ok apart from clearly looking very furious, comes downstairs with copper2.

Copper1: We've had a distress call from a number registered to this address. We had to investigate it.
Me: Quite right, so you should, but you haven't been called from this address. What number called you?

Copper1 goes into the passageway, radios back to control, and asks for more details. Surely something he should have done as soon as he realised nobody here was hurt, rather than wasting everybody's time accusing me. I heard the girl on the radio report that the phone was last registered to our address a year and a half prior to us moving in. Copper1 comes back into the room to speak to me.

Copper1: Have you lived here long.
Me: No. A year.
Copper1: Ok, sorry for waking you up. We had to investigate though.
Me: Quite right, but surely you could have been more courteous and checked your facts before standing there in front of me and practically accusing me.
Copper1 (stroppy): We have to investigate sir, its our job, don't you agree that we have to make sure everyone is ok?
Me: Yes. And you did. Then you should have been more courteous.
Copper1 (now even more stroppy, clearly hoping to intimidate me, but failing miserably): That's what we did sir. How would you have done it differently? Would you have ignored the distress call?
Me: No. I would have started off exactly like you did. I'd have raced round, my first goal being to make sure nobody was hurting and nobody was getting hurt...
Copper1 (cutting me off mid sentence and very stroppy by now - you'd think he was the one that had been woke up in the small hours): That's exactly what we did.
Me: ...and then having found that nobody was hurt, and nobody was in danger, I'd have been courteous in trying to find out more, rather than standing there in front of me practically accusing me of beating up my wife.
Copper1 (backed up now by copper 2 and both trying their futile best to look and sound intimidating): If we'd been accusing you, you'd have been in cuffs by now.
Me (now heard enough): No! I'd have been in cuffs by now if you thought for a second you could prove I'd done anything. Because you know I haven't, all you have left is to stand their and practically accuse me, with blatant digs and smirks.

At this point we argue for a bit longer and they volunteer the number to complain to. I told them I didn't intend to complain, I just wanted them to show more courtesy and not accuse people until they've checked their facts. I tell them we'll have to agree to disagree, and they storm off (must check the rear lights of my car in the morning before I drive anywhere).

The thing is, assuming the call they received was genuine, I really hope the caller, wherever she is, is ok. The coppers could have saved several minutes if they'd had their control people check everything as they were speeding round here, so that once they saw that there'd clearly been no battle here, they could have promptly moved on in the search rather than standing in my living room accusing me. I used to have sympathy for the police after all their bd press in recent years, but if that's their tone, no wonder they seem to have alienated so many of the ordinary people.

 

[size=large]It surelly is very distressing to have a surprise knock at the door in the night to start with, let alone being accused for something that you have nothing to do with.[/size]

[size=large]In Italy policemen first worry is to look cool (I-am-the-boss kind of attitude) and then comes work. [/size]

[size=large]They are not that efficient![/size]

 

ooooh, i'd have been wild with anger
Talk about guilty until proven innocent !

 

The very fact that the 'disturbance' was the night before suggests their urgency was kind of misplaced !

Not too impressed with the police of late since getting pulled for doing in excess of 90mph when my trip computer was showing 74 ! Lying scrotes some of them, think their billy big ones ! Was quite funny being pulled by two excitable police cars expecting a chase and being boxed in lol. Shame all my documents were in order and I'd done nothing wrong ! waste of time and effort on people than actually pay taxes and insure their cars. At least I got to smugly drive away home for a cuppa, while they had to fill their day with more soul destroying boredom

 

Thanks for your kind words all. We're ok, just tired, and mildly annoyed (although I was livid earlier).

Two more coppers turned up about an hour ago and woke us up again. Fair play I should have been up anyway, but after not getting back to sleep until after 4AM I was having a sleep in.

The latest pair were completely different to the last lot though. They were extremely polite, and when I told told them I'd been visited earlier, the first question I was asked was 'I hope they were polite?', to which I replied no, and summarised the story. They were both very apologetic and advised me to complain, saying that bad coppers make life hell for good coppers, because they rub people up the wrong way so that when a decent copper gets involved, the people they have to speak to are defensive and sometime aggressive.

The latest pair stayed for about half an hour, and I didn't mind at all, because they were polite and courteous, and were clearly trying to find the lady who'd made the distress call. They asked if I knew any of the neighbours, if I could think of anyone that might know the lady involved etc. I gave them the names of the neighbours I know, showed them some mail that has built up for the lady involved (she obviously didn't tell anyone she'd moved), and they thanked me, apologised again for their colleague's attitude, and were on their way. I don't mind helping people who are polite and respectful, and I'm kind of glad the latest pair came round, otherwise I'd be convinced that all coppers are pure scum these days. It seems its just one or two of them, and when I think about it, even the first pair, it was only one of them that was being horrible, his colleague was just caught up in the middle and had to tenuously show support for his workmate.

I really hope they find the lass that made the call, and that she's ok. I also really hope that this serves as a lesson to her to tell all her service providers that she's moved, so that if there's any trouble again and she feels the need to call 999, the phone records will show where she actually might be, rather than having the coppers trail all over town for many hours trying to track her down.[hr]

Good point, I hadn't made that connection. Unless it took a few hours to get the name and address details from the phone company perhaps.

They did show some urgency. The wife said they had the sirens and lights going, although I slept through that bit and only woke when my wife told me they were walking down the drive.

On your speeding case, you should have disputed it (or maybe you did), because there has been a lot of stuff in the media about the inaccuracy of their hand held speed cameras. In one test on one of the car magazine shows, they pointed one at a stationary car on their test track, and recorded a speed of 27mph for a car that was parked up, handbrake on, with nobody even in the driving seat.

 

Sounds like the infamous "Bad cop,, Good cop" routine.
Sure it passes the day. but in a way most of us would not appreciate

 

This reminds me about 10 years ago policeman at the door 10pm "sorry Sir I have bad news for you" my heart was in my gob.



Turned out they should of gone next door !!!!



Spruce

 

Nightmare (Literally) Dave.

After my third illegal search, I decided i'd had enough and went to complain. I used to be a peace punk & was often singled out to be turned over.

The WPC that had searched me was behind the desk by the time I got down the nick, she looked suprised when I walked in. I said it was about the search she'd just done on me, she said what about it.

I said, you know it was illegal and I know it was illegal, so i'd like to see your sargent please.

He defended her total lies, saying that i'd been searched because I answered the description of someone they want in connection with a thieft.

I asked to see the A.P.B. that described a bloke with bleached blond hair down to his bum, wearing a bright turquoise jumper. Funily enough, they didn't have one.

I got a full apology & the sargent admitted that she had only pulled me because I was a new face in town.

Don't they teach coppers things like saying hello & introducing yourself. If she had been honest, she could have come in for a cup of tea and a chat. No need to be so offensive.

 

Being brought up watching "Dixon of Dock Green" and "No Hiding place", I haven't a clue what your all going on about.

Arn't our policemen, (sorry its "officers" now), WONDERFUL.:D

Why did they stop calling them "constables"? I think I spelt that right:D

 

I'll have a cup of tea with anyone, ask JWK :D:WINK1:

Pray tell of your brief encounter Armandii

 

I've given it more thought, and I am going to make a formal complaint. My brain was clearly not working properly this morning when I initially decided to let it pass.

I initially let it pass because although I obviously knew I was innocent, I assumed incorrectly that the coppers had reason to suspect me of something. It was towards the end of the 'discussion' that I found out that the 999 call had came from a mobile, and that the caller was a girl whose name is nothing like that of my wife, and therefore they had absolutely no reason to treat me as a suspect.

Also, when I opened the front door to them, they didn't wait to be invited in. They just barged in. One set off upstairs to look for my wife, fair play he asked if she was decent, but didn't wait for an answer. I'm pretty sure they need a warrant to do things like that.

Then there's the fact that they asked to speak to my son as well as my wife. They were clearly disappointed when I said no because he's only 2 year old. Learning that there was a 2 year old asleep upstairs didn't stop them from stomping about on the stairs and shouting my wife.

And in addition to all of the above, there's the principle of the matter that I was treat with utter contempt in my own home. When I asked why they'd hassled and accused me when it turned out they had no reason to suspect me, it was the copper that started the ensuing row, not me. A row that would have gone on for longer if I hadn't told them to get out and get on with looking for the girl that made the 999 call.

Its a good job I'm such a calm and peaceful bloke. As they argued with me and very clearly tried to intimidate, it took all of my self discipline to not lose it with them. They will have known that, and I suspect its what they were hoping for. They'd came with the intention of arresting me and on realising they couldn't get me for the original reason, they'd have loved me to give them another reason. I might have given them that reason had it not been constantly on my mind that my 2 year old son is asleep in bed and would be happier if his dad wasn't locked up.

So, after giving it more thought, too right I'm going to make a complaint.

 

If someone was to barge into my house in that way I would be inclined to assume they were not real coppers.

Now what would have been the outcome if you had said, NO, you cant come in.

I assume you were shown some kind of ID and given chance to look at it, if not you could not be blamed if you gave them a whack with a baseball bat or similar.
You can get hold of fancy dress police uniforms very easily these days, and personally I find it very difficult sorting out a copper from a bus inspector when it comes to uniforms, add to that most coppers dont look old enough, ( the older ones go more for traffic, its an easier life), and you could make all kinds of mistakes.

If you do complain be prepared to get pulled over by every traffic cop in the area, they will know your name and consequentially your car reg.