Hi gang, as some of you know I live in sheltered housing.
About 3am this morning a man got into our building by breaking a window and ran around the building banging hard on doors and shouting and swearing. God it was so scary. Many of us pulled the emergency cords we have here and the call centre called the police.
When police arrived (some 20 minutes later!) they found the man sitting on the floor waiting for them.
Have been to coffee morning this morning and everyone very shaken… including our poor manager who lives on-site and like all of us, had no idea what was going on and didn’t dare leave her flat till police arrived!
I was so out of it after heavy sleep on Amitriptyline I actually wondered if I was having nightmare!
Just saw one of the top managers arriving with other staff members so it’s ‘all go’ here right now.
Personally I want to know why it took the police 20 minutes to respond!! This is London with police station just down the road!
Naturally it’s woken up my MS gorilla. Think I better have a very quiet day.
Well can’t complain that nothing ever happens… LoL…
I hadn’t read your ‘post’ how scary was that, anything wakening me in the middle of the night (even a phone ringing) wakes me with such a start so banging on doors20 mins is hellish long time, a pity the gorilla hadnt done something useful for a change and beaten the intruder up! Chill babe even when it’s not easyM
Hi Pat, oh I am so sorry to hear what happened. You will understandably have been terrified silly! Regarding the police attending…listen to this story;
a few weeks ago, my night carer arrived at my house at 9pm. 10 mins later her husband rang, asking her where the camera was. When she aksed why, he said, Because ive got an intruder here and I want to take his photo`. She came off the phone in a state of shock.
I told her to go straight back home. She has 2 young sons and this person walked in their home, when the chap was putting the kids to bed! I was concerend for the little lads, should the situation become violent.
So my carer went home and came back shortly afterwards. The intruder had made off. Carers hubby rang the police. he was told, Well as the man has gone, it isnt an emergency. Ring your local station. He was flabbergasted and had no idea how to get the number he needed quickly. He did make the call eventually. The police never did come!!!
Incredible, eh?
i`m glad you were all safe, even though you were so terrified.
Hi Pat How awful for you all and as you rightly said the police responding to emergency calls should have arrived far quicker! This is no good when a bunch of vulnerable people are involved. They need to earn your trust back. Have a really quiet day and rest loads. Thinking of you, Teresa xx
We have a service-user meeting on Monday afternoon and will be asking why the police took so long to respond.
The call centre called the police first (after emergency cords had been pulled), then a resident called 999 and the manager called 999 twice! Both times frantic and saying this is a building full of vulnerable people and a mad man is charging around.
It’s now known that 3 residents had face-to-face talk to him but he was not violent. Seems he was having some kind of paranoid breakdown. Thought men were chasing him.
My darling 97 year old neighbour opened her front door and he was lying on floor in the corridor outside her flat! She thought he was a workman ‘having a little rest’ LOL… she closed the door and went back to bed !
All is calm now. One boarded up window. Oh… he broke the window with our stone hedgehog in garden and police have taken poor hedgehog away as evidence!!!
POLL… your story is just awful. It’s like we are not protected anymore and the criminals can just get away with it !