Quality of Care

[wakeover]

Living in Hull, last Sunday night/early Monday, my home was victim to an attempted break in. Upon reporting it, I had two techy's around within 4 hours and the 'SOCO' man about an hour later. On Tuesday I got a call from victim support asking if my wife or I needed counselling. On Wednesday a Coumunity Support Police Officer attended and offered support and left 'smart water'. On Thursday two men from a local charity 'Probe' called and fitted alarms to every door and window...free.
Is this the norm around the country?

[Ice.Maiden]

No - we don't get any attempted break-ins round here.

[Eve]

Wow, that's very impressive :)

I find there are big differences in the police forces in the different areas I've lived in, of the country and different parts of the same local police forces.

Salford police are very good, got to me in about 10 minutes when some nutter was trying to get into my flat in the early hours when I was on my own.

We got targetted at a garden party by a group of local kids, throwing things and wrecking furniture etc... the police came and stood in the gardens with guns!

After they'd gone they kids came back and were climbing up windows and wrecking more stuff as we were all hiding inside.

The police rang to apologise they'd not been able to get out to us again due to an incident and offered to keep and eye on the place and send a community support officer round to talk about security.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

speak english,whats a techy and a soco man.

[factor-fiction]

SOCO is scene of crimes officer.
What is 'smart water'?

[moomintroll1]

That is very impressive!

When I got home to find my door forced open a couple of years ago, two CID officers were round within an hour, but didn't do much. As it was late evening, the SOCO officer (although they call them CSI in Lancashire - I think they've been watching too many American crime dramas - it was always SOCO in The Bill!) came round in the morning.

She couldn't do much, to be fair, as there were barely any suitable surfaces to get prints off, but I got the distinct impression she was only going through the motions and didn't expect much.

I got a call and a letter from Victim Support, a call from the Police with the offer of free replacement locks, and a letter from the Police with my crime reference number, but that was it.

To be honest, I wasn't at all dissatisfied at the time as they explained from the start that there were few surfaces they could get prints off, and the ones they got would probably be mine anyway, but your whole experience seems far better.

Smart Water is sprinkled on your possessions, and shows up under a UV light. Each batch is chemically unique so, with a recovered item, the Police can match it to a crime, which can reduce or remove the need to place a suspect at the scene of a crime.

[New Judge]

All jolly fine.

But have they caught the burglars (or made any attempt to do so)?

[Hymie]

Must be embarrassing to admit someone broke in to your home but they found nothing worth taking � or worse still, felt sorry for you & left you something.

Clearly burglars can afford to be choosy in East Sussex.

[factor-fiction]

hymie's point reminds me of when a friend's flat was broken into by forcing the lock. When my friend arrived home he found nothing was missing- but he'd gained a plasma screen TV! It seems the burglars were disturbed and left behind the TV they were carrying from a break in at a nearby flat.

[buildersmate]

That is impressive. One wonders if YOU have to pay out to the insurers in such circumstances.

[wakeover]

Techy refers to Criminal Investigation Officers, Smart Water is a clear liquid applied to possessions that is near impossible to see or remove and has it's individual DNA to identify the owner of the property.
And we were subject to an attempted burglary...they never got in.
Thanks for all you responses.