Police damage but they won't pay

ivor_the_engine

outtatune said:

Are you saying the Police left the property insecure? That's not acceptable.

They call a boarding up company to make the house secure 

ivor_the_engine

Veteransaver said:

Complaint to the IPCC and local MP and go to the press? To cause such extensive damage to 2 entry points sounds pretty heavy handed / negligent of the police. Why not smash a ground floor window to gain entry? Much less damage to fix.

The caretaker of the building asked them to smash a window they refused. Started smashing the front door and but because it's a composite door they could not get in, so went round the back and smashed the back door in which was not a composite door 

ivor_the_engine

redped said:

TELLIT01 said:

The police acted lawfully.  Doesn't the brother have insurance on his property?

I understand that the situation isn't a nice one to find himself in, but how would he and the family feel if there had been a genuine emergency and the police had simply walked away because there was no answer?

Nobody has said the police should have simply walked away; the OP and his brother are just saying the police should admit they made a mistake and pay for it.

He only got contents insurance. Because it's a council building the council cover the buildings but they have said they don't cover what the police have done 

BarelySentientAI

redped said:

TELLIT01 said:

The police acted lawfully.  Doesn't the brother have insurance on his property?

I understand that the situation isn't a nice one to find himself in, but how would he and the family feel if there had been a genuine emergency and the police had simply walked away because there was no answer?

Nobody has said the police should have simply walked away; the OP and his brother are just saying the police should admit they made a mistake and pay for it.

But the police didn't make a mistake.  That's the whole point.  If they had, then potentially there might be something to this.

Veteransaver said:

Complaint to the IPCC and local MP and go to the press? To cause such extensive damage to 2 entry points sounds pretty heavy handed / negligent of the police. Why not smash a ground floor window to gain entry? Much less damage to fix.

Entry through a window puts the officers at risk where forcing a door doesn't.

DullGreyGuy

ivor_the_engine said:

Veteransaver said:

Complaint to the IPCC and local MP and go to the press? To cause such extensive damage to 2 entry points sounds pretty heavy handed / negligent of the police. Why not smash a ground floor window to gain entry? Much less damage to fix.

The caretaker of the building asked them to smash a window they refused. Started smashing the front door and but because it's a composite door they could not get in, so went round the back and smashed the back door in which was not a composite door 

And lets say they'd found someone bleeding out and convulsing on the floor after gaining access via a broken window... how do you suppose they carry them out via a broken glass window?

The door is designed for human entry/exit and is vastly easier to carry someone out if they are unresponsive, convulsing, resisting etc than trying to get them in via window which may have how knows what under it on either side and may or may not be locked.

Bigphil1474

You don't have to go out of the window just because you go in the window. When I was younger we'd often have to break into our old house via the coal shoot when we'd forgotten keys or there was nobody home to let us in. You go in that way then unlock the door from the inside if you can.

GDB2222

I wonder whether it’s possible to get the police to pay for the door they started to batter, but couldn’t get through?  After all, they could have assessed that the door was solid and gone round the back immediately. Ruining two doors seems careless to me.

If I were the OP's brother that’s what I would be complaining about,  ie the police had a right/duty to gain access, but they needed to be reasonable about doing so. 

jonnydeppiwish!

ivor_the_engine said:

redped said:

TELLIT01 said:

The police acted lawfully.  Doesn't the brother have insurance on his property?

I understand that the situation isn't a nice one to find himself in, but how would he and the family feel if there had been a genuine emergency and the police had simply walked away because there was no answer?

Nobody has said the police should have simply walked away; the OP and his brother are just saying the police should admit they made a mistake and pay for it.

He only got contents insurance. Because it's a council building the council cover the buildings but they have said they don't cover what the police have done 

That may be his problem then - if he has a mortgage, the mortgage company will almost certainly have a condition of buildings insurance as part of the lending criteria.

Jonboy_1984

jonnydeppiwish! said:

ivor_the_engine said:

redped said:

TELLIT01 said:

The police acted lawfully.  Doesn't the brother have insurance on his property?

I understand that the situation isn't a nice one to find himself in, but how would he and the family feel if there had been a genuine emergency and the police had simply walked away because there was no answer?

Nobody has said the police should have simply walked away; the OP and his brother are just saying the police should admit they made a mistake and pay for it.

He only got contents insurance. Because it's a council building the council cover the buildings but they have said they don't cover what the police have done 

That may be his problem then - if he has a mortgage, the mortgage company will almost certainly have a condition of buildings insurance as part of the lending criteria.

In almost all flats in England amd Wales the freeholder (council in this case) arrange buildings insurance for the entire block (and charge the costs to the leaseholders via the service charge) and leaseholders/ occupiers are only responsible for their own contents cover.

This is to ensure there are no issues if an incident in one flat causes damage to another - the freeholder just gets on with the claim.

(The adequate insurance for the building  cover is investigated by the conveyancers when purchasing and then the policy certificate is generally sent to the leaseholders/put on a wall in the communal areas  annually to satisfy any mortgage requirements)

Risteard

GDB2222 said:

I wonder whether it’s possible to get the police to pay for the door they started to batter, but couldn’t get through?  After all, they could have assessed that the door was solid and gone round the back immediately. Ruining two doors seems careless to me.

If I were the OP's brother that’s what I would be complaining about,  ie the police had a right/duty to gain access, but they needed to be reasonable about doing so. 

I would pursue full reimbursement plus reparations.