Why is a racist neighbour being allowed to voluntarily attend the police station rather than being arrested?

by **trucker** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:01 am

For the last two years I have been experiencing racism from a mentally ill neighbour in the flats in which I live. I called the police in the past and they said it was my word against his, but because his behaviour has escalated over the past 18 months, the environmental health dept gave me noise recording equipment and I caught his racial abuse on the recorder two weeks ago. his threats were so bad, I was put up in a hotel for a week and the fire brigade fit a fireproof letterbox.

This man has affected many people in the building in which I live. A pensioner beneath him (who had lived in the block for 27 years) had to move out because of the noise this man made, then when this pensioner left he started to disturb me e.g his friends buzzing my intercom at 4am, him throwing things out of the window onto the communal garden (his mattress, divan, duvet, laptop, stereo, etc); banging our adjoining walls, screaming, roaring and yelling.

Rather than try to appease his neighbours, he has got worst and is verbally and racially abusing me every time he sees me. He even threatened the fire brigade when they came out to fit a fireproof letterbox.

The police now have all of the evidence, from other witnesses and from the voice recording equipment, so why are they allowing him to voluntarily attend at the police station on Wednesday rather than arrest him. I cannot help but feel that if it was the other way around, I would have been arrested at 4am in the morning. In fact when the police first came to take to my flat they did not want to take a statement and the officer insisted that this man calling me a "black b******, n***** and s***" was not a criminal offence because he shouted this out of his window at me rather than standing in a public place and the offence is only a racial motivated offence if he takes place publicly. I could not believe this! Remember this has been going on for 2 years now.

The local authority say that they may not even be successful in getting him evicted as the court may decide that his mental health issues take precedence over the effect he is having on his neighbours. So far the judge (during directions hearings) has asked for more proof of the abuse and noise issues (which we now have with his recent racial abuse and threats) and more time for this guy to be examined by a psychiatrist as the man next door to me is essentially trying to use his mental health issues as an excuse for his behaviour towards me.
By the way I am British and not American so advice from other Brits familiar with British Criminal Law is welcomed.

by **croslea** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:14 am

For the last two years I have been experiencing racism from a mentally ill neighbour in the flats in which I live. I called the police in the past and they said it was my word against his, but because his behaviour has escalated over the past 18 months, the environmental health dept gave me noise recording equipment and I caught his racial abuse on the recorder two weeks ago. his threats were so bad, I was put up in a hotel for a week and the fire brigade fit a fireproof letterbox.

This man has affected many people in the building in which I live. A pensioner beneath him (who had lived in the block for 27 years) had to move out because of the noise this man made, then when this pensioner left he started to disturb me e.g his friends buzzing my intercom at 4am, him throwing things out of the window onto the communal garden (his mattress, divan, duvet, laptop, stereo, etc); banging our adjoining walls, screaming, roaring and yelling.

Rather than try to appease his neighbours, he has got worst and is verbally and racially abusing me every time he sees me. He even threatened the fire brigade when they came out to fit a fireproof letterbox.

The police now have all of the evidence, from other witnesses and from the voice recording equipment, so why are they allowing him to voluntarily attend at the police station on Wednesday rather than arrest him. I cannot help but feel that if it was the other way around, I would have been arrested at 4am in the morning. In fact when the police first came to take to my flat they did not want to take a statement and the officer insisted that this man calling me a "black b******, n***** and s***" was not a criminal offence because he shouted this out of his window at me rather than standing in a public place and the offence is only a racial motivated offence if he takes place publicly. I could not believe this! Remember this has been going on for 2 years now.

The local authority say that they may not even be successful in getting him evicted as the court may decide that his mental health issues take precedence over the effect he is having on his neighbours. So far the judge (during directions hearings) has asked for more proof of the abuse and noise issues (which we now have with his recent racial abuse and threats) and more time for this guy to be examined by a psychiatrist as the man next door to me is essentially trying to use his mental health issues as an excuse for his behaviour towards me.
By the way I am British and not American so advice from other Brits familiar with British Criminal Law is welcomed.

First off the pollitically correct idiots who thought up the laws in this country regarding racial abuse have made them almost impossible to implement.

As far as I am concerned racial abuse in a private setting is of course racially motivated but "racially motivated" in law does not actually mean what "racially motivated" means in english. EG in the US an "illegal conversation" actually means sex with a person other than your partener if you are married.

There is a possible tack you can use - actually use the mental health issue against the council and force them to relocate the individual to somewhere more suitable. Are you on a high floor? Then argue he is at risk from jumping out of a window and argue others are at risk of death from him throwing things out of a window as he has already done. Is he on a low floor - argue that he is at risk of others taking things into their own hands and causing him injury etc.

Councils are usually beurocratic idiots who will not do anything unless forced. Unfortunately this does not help you. My email is [email protected] and I work for a charity called the "welcome project" helping people who have just been granted leave to remain so I have seen these things before. Feel free to email me if you want.

by **valentino** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:19 am

Probably because being a racist and making racist remarks isn't against the law, nor should they be? He has every right to be an ignorant bigot who makes racial remarks, just like you have the right to be an overly sensitive crybaby who gets upset over name calling from an ignorant POS.

by **lamarr3** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:25 am

If you are unhappy you can write directly to the Chief Constable. If you are dissatisfied with his response you may complain to the IPCC.

by **lorimar** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:30 am

I usually solve problems like that myself.

Be creative!

by **koltin** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:46 am

So let me understand this. You essentially want him arrested in his home so that you......feel better?

Whether or not he gets arrested in his home or he comes into the station voluntarily really makes no difference other then it frees up cops from an otherwise minor crime (which it is). For all you know they could be calling him in for an interview and let him go with a warning. Not everything results in a charge and it's sometimes up to the officers or the Crown.

by **abraham90** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:58 am

So let me understand this. You essentially want him arrested in his home so that you......feel better?

Whether or not he gets arrested in his home or he comes into the station voluntarily really makes no difference other then it frees up cops from an otherwise minor crime (which it is). For all you know they could be calling him in for an interview and let him go with a warning. Not everything results in a charge and it's sometimes up to the officers or the Crown.

First of all, the police are correct that racial epithets are not illegal unless uttered in a public place. The UK is actually one of the few places where such things are illegal at ALL.

Otherwise, since he has only a minor charge, why should the police arrest him? Arrests are for people who are an immediate risk to others.

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