Bored cops bully kids

[swee'pea99]

My youngest came back early from the party she'd gone to last night, along with a couple of friends from the party. Albeit we got the story only from her, she's no liar, and apparently what happened was this.

At 9pm there was a knock at the door, which her friend opened to find seven cops outside, who said they'd had reports of noise, violence and drug use, walked straight into the house, and went from room to room, using torches in any that had curtains drawn, scaring the shoot out of the assembled gentle, well-behaved 15-16 year olds, reducing many to tears and some to trauma. One kid was so freaked out by these police suddenly busting into the room that he knocked over a bookcase, which fell on another kid, knocking him unconscious.

There had been no violence. There was no noise louder than you'd expect from a 15-16 year old's fancy dress party. This was 9 o' clock, remember. And there were no drugs. When the cops had finished scaring the shoot out of everyone, they ordered the party closed down and told everyone to leave.

And just in case anyone's inclined to ask 'where were the parents?', her friend's mum had gone out till midnight, as agreed, to let her & her friends have a good time with no parents hanging around.

Now, is that policing? Or is that a bunch of bored cops with time on their hands before Saturday night last orders who decide to go and throw their weight around?

I tell you this, if anything like that happened at my house, I would go bat shoot. And I would not rest until I had a firm assurance that the police concerned had been identified, brought to heel, and reminded that they are there to serve the public, not to push people around.

 

[midlife]

I assume they would have been responding to a report from a neighbour?

Shaun

 

[Levo-Lon]

Why would 7 old bill enterng a house party terify 15,16 yr olds who were amaizingly straight acording to your daughter?
id check her pupils now and then when she gets home bud..

 

[ColinJ]

I'd raise the matter with the local Superintendent. They're not allowed to search premises without a warrant or the permission of the owner, who wasn't there.

Is there not an equivalent in UK law of the US 'probable cause'?

(For example - if a police officer heard a blood-curdling scream come from inside a property, it would not make sense to have to wait and apply for a warrant!)

 

[buggi]

I'm sorry to say I'm a little bit more sceptical.

The police would have responded to a call from the neighbours and they wouldn't just barge in without due cause.

The police just walked in? Without checking to see if the parents were there?

A whole bookcase, which was probably against a wall and had been for it's entire life without ever having been knocked over before, big and heavy enough to knock a boy unconscious, got knocked over bcoz a kid was scared? What did he do? Climb it? You sure he wasn't trying to hide something behind it? Or it didn't happen before bcoz the party got out of hand (maybe the kids were wrecking the joint or fighting and that's why the neighbours called police... And if this is the case that would actually justify them barging in. I presume an ambulance was called if the kid really was unconscious?

The parents go out for one night and the neighbours, rather than complain to the parents when they get back, decide to call the police for a one off party at 9pm? Do you really think the neighbours would call the police if they were making a reasonable amount of noise?

7 (SEVEN!!) cops turned up? Unless you live in the isles of Scilly, no police force is that bored. When my ex neighbour was throwing a drugs party (a regular weekend occurrence) I'd be lucky to get two cops turn up by the next day (always citing a party wasn't a criminal offence for whatever reason and not their problem and I need to phone environmental health instead) and I don't live in the Bronx. It must have been quite some party for 7 cops to be invited.

How quiet do you think a 15/16 year olds fancy dress party is going to be when the parents are out and have instructed them to "have a good time"

I don't mean to offend but I'm sorry to say that I'm not sure your daughter is being completely truthful. Sounds to me like the party got a bit out of hand for a few reasons and the kids are trying to explain away the damage. You may think your daughter isn't a liar, but she is 15/16 and she has just been put under a lot of peer pressure. Her friends probably count more than you do right now and/or she doesn't want to in your bad books.

I would certainly be checking the facts out before I went suing the cops. And I'd be having a word with the parents as well. There may not have been drugs but there was probably alcohol, and they left em to it .

 

[Arrowfoot]

It is unlikely that 7 officers would turn up and do such a thing unless the house has a history. And it cannot be because of the noise. Or they got the wrong house. The usual that I see in one's neighbourhood is that the Police would make a first request to tone down and then follow-up if he does not stop. That means calling the house owners.

I am sure it would be disciplinary situation if they just turned up and did what they did. Might be worth calling the Supt as someone else suggested in the thread.

 

[Pale Rider]

Seven cops on duty in your area at the same time.

You're lucky.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

It is unlikely that 7 officers would turn up and do such a thing unless the house has a history.

 

[Hitchington]

I assume they would have been responding to a report from a neighbour?

Shaun

I'm sure police wouldn't normally enter a party, even if it was too noisy for neighbours. I speak from experience (from having noisy parties in my youth). Usually they would just ask for music to be turned down if it was too late?

 

[summerdays]

I think two of mine have been at parties when the cops turned up and effectively shut them down. One was in a hall and they didn't have an alcohol licence so they booted them out - can't say I was totally impressed to learn my eldest about 16 at the time was wandering around in an area she didn't know 10 miles away at 10pm but we found her and picked her up, but I understand why it was done. The second time, different offspring, and I think it was midnight and the police came twice, first time to say turn the volume down or else, second time to kill the party. In each case I think there was only one police car with presumably two cops.

In a large group of friends there are probably some who will be experimenting and going too far with alcohol or drugs. I know from my kids and friends children that it certainly happens. Even from my own experiences as a teen where I went to parties that my parents didn't know alcohol was involved. I've tried to be more relaxed and prepared to discuss it with my kids in the hope they do tell me some of what goes on. I know they won't tell me everything.

 

[Fnaar]

New TV programme possibility... "When strippograms go wrong"...

 

[matiz]

Sounds like a episode of Hollyoaks (not that I've ever watched it)

 

[mick1836]

My youngest came back early from the party she'd gone to last night, along with a couple of friends from the party. Albeit we got the story only from her, she's no liar, and apparently what happened was this.

At 9pm there was a knock at the door, which her friend opened to find seven cops outside, who said they'd had reports of noise, violence and drug use, walked straight into the house, and went from room to room, using torches in any that had curtains drawn, scaring the shoot out of the assembled gentle, well-behaved 15-16 year olds, reducing many to tears and some to trauma. One kid was so freaked out by these police suddenly busting into the room that he knocked over a bookcase, which fell on another kid, knocking him unconscious.

There had been no violence. There was no noise louder than you'd expect from a 15-16 year old's fancy dress party. This was 9 o' clock, remember. And there were no drugs. When the cops had finished scaring the shoot out of everyone, they ordered the party closed down and told everyone to leave.

And just in case anyone's inclined to ask 'where were the parents?', her friend's mum had gone out till midnight, as agreed, to let her & her friends have a good time with no parents hanging around.

Now, is that policing? Or is that a bunch of bored cops with time on their hands before Saturday night last orders who decide to go and throw their weight around?

I tell you this, if anything like that happened at my house, I would go bat shoot. And I would not rest until I had a firm assurance that the police concerned had been identified, brought to heel, and reminded that they are there to serve the public, not to push people around.

This is got to be an April 1st wind up, naughty Police men, with nothing better to do than to visit a house with which by pure chance contains a house full of 15-16 year old angles quietly eating their jelly & ice cream and playing scrabble or tiddlywinks?????

 

[Globalti]

Unless you live in the middle of a big city I find it hard to believe there were even seven Police available to turn up. In the Ribble Valley we have THREE Police on duty most nights, admittedly they can call for specialist backup but that would take some time to arrive.

The "totally-innocent-we-were-doing-nothing-wrong" story sounds just like the stuff my 16 y.o. son's mates will concoct. They really do lack circumspection and consideration at that age.

 

[PK99]

My daughter was taken to a party with a group of friends, by one of the mums.
Said mum, let them out of the car at the roadside and watched them walk to the front door, what she observed around and through the front door was sufficient for her to jump out, and order the girls back into the car and home to her house.
Later that evening the staircase collapsed at the party house from sheer weight of numbers.


Another friend almost had her house trashed one Friday night when the small party she had agreed with her daughter ( "... had gone out till midnight, as agreed, to let her & her friends have a good time with no parents hanging around....") was gatecrashed by hundreds because some bright spark had put the details on facebook. Only the fortuitous book club meeting next door and a phone call to a large rugby player and the police prevented the sort of trashing you read about in the press.