Police break down door - who pays to replace

[jkelly24]

My cousin and his wife are away on holiday. Last night the police received an email that a child was currently being hurt within their house. When they went to investigate and no one answered the door they broke down the front door and went in. This was obviously a hoax call or as seems more likely the police went to the wrong address ( there are 4 streets within our city with the same name ). The police have contacted my sister after finding her number stored in my cousins home phone and told her they had made the door secure but they should contact the insurance company a.s.a.p. Surely they should not have to claim on their insurance if they have obviously done nothing wrong. Can the police get away with this?

[Dris]

3rd attempt -here goes.
If the property is mortgaged then building insurance is required.
If a private let-then Landlord is obliged by law to have insurance.
If Council-then they will replace.
See where im coming from -thewy are covered whichever way you look at it.

Extremely malicious but hey better safe than sorry and if theyre off on holiday (im not judging just passing comment) then im sure theyre sorted with insurance.

Cant see where your last comment fits in the equation to be honest -what have they got away with ?

[jkelly24]

so Dris you'd have no problem with the police breaking down your door while you were out and you'd not commited any crime. I think not! Would you accept an answer of better safe than sorry when your insurance premiums go up.

[ann_h]

I didn't know you could email the police on an emergency - cool. Hope they went to the other 3 houses too and caught the perpetrators.

[Dris]

Why post when you arent prepared to take advice even if you dont like it.So if you dont like it that means you have already formulated a response which suits you in your head so why bother us?? anyway -correct me -but isnt it your cousins problem -house is secure so what are you bumping yer gums at ?

Their gripe is with the Police -you get in touch with them and with that attitude you'll be coming out from the cells monday morning -guaranteed :)

[mic100]

Unbelievable response from Dris. Are you for real? I think the only person with a bad attitude is yourself. Do you work the police perhaps?
I hope your door gets kicked in one day or similar. The person was only asking a completely reasonable question. Another example of the 'kyle class' the UK has generated.

[Dris]

WOW -thanks helen x
I gave solid advice-wasnt taken on board and was met with an aggresive response then mic gets on board.
I think its a stitch up to be honest -a total wind up thread.Im sure ive read similar before.
Thank you helen for being like me a decent thoughtful hardworking person who could potentially see the whole picture and for your support.
I'll duck out now -bet most of the windows and doors are boarded up round their bit......

[ABerrant]

Whether compensation is appropriate depends on the circumstances in each case.
This from PACE Code B:

"Compensation for damage caused when effecting entry is unlikely to be appropriate
if the search was lawful, and the force used can be shown to be reasonable,
proportionate and necessary to effect entry. If the wrong premises are searched by
mistake everything possible should be done at the earliest opportunity to allay any
sense of grievance and there should normally be a strong presumption in favour of
paying compensation."

http://webarchive.nat...)2835.pdf?view=Binary

In essence this means that provided the police did not get the address wrong and forced entry under lawful execution of a warrant or in their duty to protect life and limb they would normally not pay compensation, however an ex-gratia payment would be considered, for repair costs only, where the claimant either has no insurance or their insurers are refusing to cover them because the damage is outside the scope of their policy.

[hc4361]

Dris is assuming that property is either mortgaged or rented from private landlord or council.
Not so, and I would be very put out if the police damaged my property whilst I was on holiday.
They may have secured the door but they have advertised the property is currently empty and further inviting burglars.
My excess is £500, so I would not be able to claim from my insurers and if I could the premium would increase next year.
The police are well insured for this sort of thing.

[puternut]

As an ex Local Authority Housing Officer I believe that the criteria the Police use(d) is that if they forced entry and make an arrest or find wrong-doing at the address then the repair was down to the tenant/landlord/owner as reported above.

If they did NOT find anything - as in jkelly24s case - then they (police) would be responsible for the repair.

Must be honest thought the situation never arose in the 9 or ten years I was there and that was in a London Borough

[ELVIS68]

If they got the wrong address, they should pay

[jkelly24]

Thanks for your answers much appreciated

[Peter Pedant]

.

when the police battered down the door of a house

and oops found it was one of their own inspector's.....I think they paid.

The house was entered onto the PNC as a 'joke', but there were certain checks they were meant to have made which they didnt.

[alavahalf]

The police often call me to do a repair to a door/frame after such an incident.
A couple of years ago I was asked to attend after the event ...

The elderley lady said '' It was terryfying ... me and my husband were being really naughty'' ...
( I thought she was going to say they had been at it on the carpet).

''We had got home late in the afternoon because the bus was late ... and we really like to listen to the Archers in the afternoon ... so we put our lunch on trays, and sat in the lounge, and ate our lunch from our laps'' ... ''We were feeling really naughty when all of a sudden the door exploded , and loads of police officers burst in shouting ...Police raid''
There was her thinking it was because they had been eating off trays ... the real reason was the police had got the wrong address, and instead of going to
????? Close... they had gone to ????? Avenue.
The police paid for a new door in that instance..!

[Dee Sa]

the police once broke down my mum's front door and her living room door which she had locked before coming to stay the weekend with me, she had left a message for the district nurse not to call and where she was going but the message wasnt passed on and the nurse thought she might be in a diabetic coma. The police paid for two new doors.