No noise is good noise
The control room is often the first point of call for complaints. We get lots of complaints, some more valid than others. Actually, some aren’t valid at all.
A lot of complaints are about the police refusing to deal with somebody’s problem. Often, there are good reasons for this, mostly it’s because the cause for the call is “not a police matter”.
A popular call we receive is about noisy neighbours. This is usually a complaint that someone can’t get to sleep because of loud music or their Sunday afternoon peace is beinb shattered due to an inconsiderate neighbour’s power-tools.
Some years ago the government decided it was a good idea to remove what were previously part of the police’s responsibilities to other agencies. We had PCSOs to take on low-level anti-social behaviour. The Highways Agency took on some of the responsibilities on the mitorways & fast roads network. Local parking issues were transferred to the local authorities and noise nuisance problems were given to environmental health departments to sort out.
The idea with noise was that an Environmental Health Officer from the council could attend a noisy party, issue a noise abatement order & sieze equipment from those who declined to turn down the noise. All well & good in theory. Except the councils were expected to fund this extra work from existing budgets. In most councils there is more chance of seeing Lord Lucan riding Shergar down the High Street than seeing an EHO after 6pm.
This is the cause for much ire & frustration amongst the local populace. So we take a lot of calls which are complaints against police. Mr Jacobs phoned up today to make an official complaint because police wouldn’t stop his neighbour playing loud music. He was advised to contact the local environmental health department whose responsibility it is to deal with noise issues. The fact that the local council, for whatever reason, only provide an out of hours service during the summer months on a Friday & Saturday nights is immaterial to Mr Jacobs, who says it is the police at fault & wants to speak to an Inspector about the issue.
Doubtless the inspector will apologise but repeat what Mr Jacobs has already been told by several different people. It may or may not be recorded as an official complaint against police. Whilst you can understand his frustration it’s a little bit like ringing Tescos to complain that they are refusing to service your car.
Inspector Leviathan Hobbes says:
I feel great empathy for these ‘victims’ because that’s exactly what they are. I’ve dealt with victims who have experienced nuisance neighbours anywhere between 2 and 9 years. They go through the same process, keeping a log, trying to get the EHO out to measure the noise, writing to Councillors, the Housing Charity that has invariably housed them, the letting agents, DWP who pay for their rent – all to no avail. They can take the neighbour to court, but if they lose will have to pay the other side’s legal costs. The victim won’t get free legal aid either. They can’t sue the letting agency, they can’t get any recourse for the value of their home dropping as they will have to disclose the issues to new buyers. It’s appalling. As usual, if you’re a decent citizen you get nothing. If you’re a burden, and an ungrateful one at that, the world is your oyster.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Hibbo says:
I had two coppers round at my door a few months ago because a neighbour had complained about noise. It was late and I had played one song quite loudly. The music was off when the police turned up, and I sincerely apologised as I was out of order (other people’s music annoys me too). This didn’t stop the police barging in and asking me a huge amount of questions, before accusing me of being on drugs and leafing through me personal mail.
Is this not standard practice for noise complaints then? As usual, I am guessing that as I was polite and honest with the police they decided to walk all over that and enjoy a nice little power trip. I didn’t say it at the time (as I am too polite), but as the old favourite goes; didn’t they have anything better to do? (answer: yes)
I might have a whinge about EHOs too….
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:02 am
Civ_In_The_City says:
Tescos may actually offer car servicing soon, but I get your point.
The fact that it`s the council that now sorts out noisy neighbours is of no comfort or interest to the general population. Police officers are the last of a noble breed of people who actually give a damn about facts and attention to detail.
For most people it`s better to phone people in authority who you know are available 24 hours a day, and who have a catchy and easy to remember phone number. And nice uniforms. And cars with flashing blue lights.
If you also then give people the sorts of lunatic ‘customer service’ guarantees that the supermarkets do and you`ll see a whole new level of piss-taking.
Someone known personally to me (who wishes to remain anonymous/employed/free to blog) was the price checker person in a supermarket. She was legally obligated to check the price of every single item in the store once per week to make sure the ticket on the shelf matched the computer.
So when a customer brought back some bacon to take advantage of the ‘money back plus a replacement’ guarantee she spotted immediately it wasn`t from her supermarket chain. It didn`t show up anywhere in the company price list either(they supplied a fresh printed copy each week).
Sadly for everyone concerned the customer was insistent so got her cash and new packet of bacon.
So the moral is, double-check the small print on Tescos customer satisfaction promise, you might get your car serviced after all. And a free tank of petrol too.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Plodnomore says:
Living in an area where the local authority doesn’t exist between 4pm on a Friday and 8am on a Monday I have experienced from both sides (both as a Police officer receiving the complaints and a MOP making the complaints) the problems of noisy/ignorant/inconsiderate neighbours who play loud music or who are unacceptably noisy between those times. I have found that the the words, “I believe a breach of the peace will occur if nothing is done about this noise.” works wonders. As far as I am aware, this is still the basic responsibility of the Police and the words can mean anything from knocking on the door and complaining to firebombing the block of flats the (usually unemployed) instigator lives. Perhaps more people should try it.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Linda Baki says:
The problem is with noisy neighbours who enjoy ear blasting music, is this. No matter who you complain to police or local authority, they turn the music down when someone knocks on their door. The minute they drive away up goes the music , you ring and complain again and this can become a very tiresome hobby. Here in Spain neighbours have been known to kill each other because of noise. Crazy but true.
July 7th, 2009 at 6:44 pm