Gas Safety Check- Question! Anyone here an engineer? Help please?!

Shadowdancing

Hi all


This is an odd question for an article I am writing and it's based on a fictional scenario- but one that could happen obviously.


If a gas safety engineer enters a housing association property to perform the annual safety check, and becomes aware that there are items lying about that suggest some drug use has taken place in the property, would they be obliged to tell the housing association and/or the police?


We're not talking about walking into a crack den or marijuana farm here, just the sort of thing that could indicate an individual dabbles in occasional recreational drug use for their own purposes.


Where does the engineer stand? Are they obliged to tell, is there personal preference involved etc?


Thank you very much for your help.

Alter_ego

It's not part of the gas safety check!

naedanger

Shadowdancing wrote: »

Hi all


This is an odd question for an article I am writing and it's based on a fictional scenario- but one that could happen obviously.


If a gas safety engineer enters a housing association property to perform the annual safety check, and becomes aware that there are items lying about that suggest some drug use has taken place in the property, would they be obliged to tell the housing association and/or the police?


We're not talking about walking into a crack den or marijuana farm here, just the sort of thing that could indicate an individual dabbles in occasional recreational drug use for their own purposes.


Where does the engineer stand? Are they obliged to tell, is there personal preference involved etc?


Thank you very much for your help.

There is no legal obligation to report a crime.

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q514.htm

(Must admit I thought there would be some exceptions where people did have an obligation to report certain suspected crimes e.g. child abuse.)

I also doubt the police would be that interested in hearing that someone had seen items in someone else's house that may indicate drugs had been taken in the property unless there was more to it (e.g. indication of danger to children, or of significant levels of dealing, or the police had an interest in the occupants for other reasons etc).

Shadowdancing

Very helpful. Thank you very much.

[Deleted User]

NO !! and its not very often that drug addicts are A..up awake in the daytime, B..inclined to open the doors anyway because their meters are usually bypassed.
Personally I would always report any crime, and I have had a Police commendation for chasing down a mugger who d robbed a lady on her bike. I d draw the line at needles in alleys/houses.

unclebulgaria

I have been into numerous properties where the resident or tenant uses drugs for recreational use and I have also been into properties where there appears to be issues with how children in the house may be at risk or being left to their own devices and possibly cases that the social services need to be notified.
I have had two occasions where I've had to call the police regarding drug cultivation in lofts, both empty houses with lofts being used by the next door house to grow weed, another where the tenant was too thick to realise that leaving a large pyramid of weed and empty plastic bags on the kitchen side next to a weighing machine might look suspicious to the Gas Engineer who then let the landlord know.
I've called the Social Services twice to properties where the children have appeared to be at risk, one where the small boy was sleeping on a urine soaked baby mattress and his mother was drunk when I called and the other where a male tenant was drunk in charge of his son who was crawling around the floor with a spilling nappy and cat feaces scattered around.
I don't report recreational use, its their business but, I do always report criminal activity and any kids I see at risk.