Police forced entry, HELP

hartcjhart

poor ruddy police,damned if they do and damned if they dont,would the OP be so upset if they had forced entry and saved his mothers life

dmg24

If the police acted lawfully (a welfare check would be lawful), they will not be liable for costs. You will need to check her insurance, but be aware that the insurers may not cover damage incurred during a lawful entry (as opposed to a burglary/ trespass).

pendulum

If the cops could see her unconscious on the floor, or had firm intelligence that she was in trouble, then fair enough, put the door in, but causing thousands in damage because of a suspicion she might have been in trouble is a bit over the top. Perhaps a locksmith would have been a reasonable compromise to gain access...

dmg24

pendulum wrote: »

If the cops could see her unconscious on the floor, or had firm intelligence that she was in trouble, then fair enough, put the door in, but causing thousands in damage because of a suspicion she might have been in trouble is a bit over the top. Perhaps a locksmith would have been a reasonable compromise to gain access...

So if they couldn't see her (illness does not tend to wait until you are near a window), and she was unconscious inside, they should have rang a locksmith who might have arrived in an hour or two?

chib

Something that may help you when asking for the police to co-operate... was the damage excessive?

Could they have gained entry by making less damage - perhaps breaking and entering through a window?

Regardless of what happened when they got in, they knew it would have to be repaired at some point - a pane of glass would be cheaper to replace than a door/wall?

asbokid

halibut2209 wrote: »

Only 24 hours? Sue the neighbours for being stupid.

1 of the junky`s in the flat`s opposite manage to OD over Xmas.
His corpse was`nt discovered for week`s even though the stairwell was stunk out.
3rd junky to die off OD in the flat`s in 1 year. :eek:

Look at this mind less police raid... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-13086468

ruin`s the chainsaw blade`s doing that.

dangerous as well from flying glass shard`s.

Darksun

brian.gas wrote: »

Yes she has insurance.

Contacting the insurers to see what they advise would be the first step then, it should be done as soon as possible

nic_santorini

The police are not liable but may be reasonable if you were to explain the extent of the damage. Was there a better or cheaper place they could have gained access? Discuss this with the local neighbourhood Inspector and see if there is anywhere to go from there, it is worth a shot.

hermum

Rather a wrecked door then your Mum lying injured for days. Pass it onto the insurance company & let them determine liability.

danlojo

I know it may seem silly but why didn't she let the neighbours know she was away. This way they would have known she wasn't around and would have also kept an eye on the house.

I remember when I was 'serving' and we were called to a house of an old gentleman who hadn't been seen about for a couple of days. When we got there early evening we could just about see through the curtain and the tv was on. He was sat 'rigid' in a chair infront of it (we could only see from the back). We banged on the window and doors like mad but had no response.

After trying for 5 mins we decided to go in and just as we went into the living room he sat up and went mental. He had dozed off and his hearing aid was turned off. He had also been a little ill for a few days and so hadn't ventured out. We obviously apologized and he could see the funny side...eventually. Fortunately we hadn't done much damage to the door and his son a carpenter fixed it!

You're right, damned if you do and damned if you don't!!