Mr X
2006-09-19 19:52:01 UTC
Police apology over assault delay
<http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/223/223534_police_apology
_over_assault_delay.html>
GREATER Manchester Police have apologised to a family who were attacked
in their home and had to wait a week for officers to respond.
The intruders had assaulted David O'Halloran and his girlfriend,
Bernadette Dusic, and slapped Mr O'Halloran's disabled mother, Brenda,
across the face.
After repeated phone calls to the police from their home in Hindley,
near Wigan, the force finally turned up seven days later. Mrs O'Halloran
said: "I was disgusted really. I kept ringing and ringing every day.
They kept saying `Yeah, we will come out' but they never did. We were
terrified the people who did this might come back and attack us again.
Police were first called at 10.15pm on September 3 after taxi driver Mr
O'Halloran, 36, was battered about the head, leaving him with severe
bruising. His 16-year-old girlfriend was left so frightened by the
assault that she is now scared to leave the house.
A woman had knocked on their door and accused Ms Dusic of squirting her
child with a water pistol, Mrs O'Halloran said. After they had argued, a
man arrived and attacked Mr O'Halloran, leaving him with blood all over
his T-shirt.
Mrs O'Halloran said the attackers were still in the house when police
were called, but in a statement Greater Manchester Police claimed the
attack had been over when officers were alerted.
"The call was made shortly before 10.40pm and the caller stated the
assault had already happened," a spokesman said.
"Greater Manchester Police has a graded response system across the
county, which means that incidents where there is an immediate threat to
life are given a higher priority than other calls. This grading can only
be determined by the information callers give when they make contact. In
this particular incident the assault was not ongoing and, as a result,
there was deemed to be no immediate threat to the individuals concerned.
The spokesman said police had tried to contact the family on their
mobile phone but couldn't get an answer. A police officer finally went
to the house to take statements on September 10. The spokesman added:
"We apologise for any upset this delay may have caused."
A 30-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and has
been bailed pending further inquiries.
========================================================================
Unbelievable, you just couldn't make it up!
Why do people pay for the police?
<http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/223/223534_police_apology
_over_assault_delay.html>
GREATER Manchester Police have apologised to a family who were attacked
in their home and had to wait a week for officers to respond.
The intruders had assaulted David O'Halloran and his girlfriend,
Bernadette Dusic, and slapped Mr O'Halloran's disabled mother, Brenda,
across the face.
After repeated phone calls to the police from their home in Hindley,
near Wigan, the force finally turned up seven days later. Mrs O'Halloran
said: "I was disgusted really. I kept ringing and ringing every day.
They kept saying `Yeah, we will come out' but they never did. We were
terrified the people who did this might come back and attack us again.
Police were first called at 10.15pm on September 3 after taxi driver Mr
O'Halloran, 36, was battered about the head, leaving him with severe
bruising. His 16-year-old girlfriend was left so frightened by the
assault that she is now scared to leave the house.
A woman had knocked on their door and accused Ms Dusic of squirting her
child with a water pistol, Mrs O'Halloran said. After they had argued, a
man arrived and attacked Mr O'Halloran, leaving him with blood all over
his T-shirt.
Mrs O'Halloran said the attackers were still in the house when police
were called, but in a statement Greater Manchester Police claimed the
attack had been over when officers were alerted.
"The call was made shortly before 10.40pm and the caller stated the
assault had already happened," a spokesman said.
"Greater Manchester Police has a graded response system across the
county, which means that incidents where there is an immediate threat to
life are given a higher priority than other calls. This grading can only
be determined by the information callers give when they make contact. In
this particular incident the assault was not ongoing and, as a result,
there was deemed to be no immediate threat to the individuals concerned.
The spokesman said police had tried to contact the family on their
mobile phone but couldn't get an answer. A police officer finally went
to the house to take statements on September 10. The spokesman added:
"We apologise for any upset this delay may have caused."
A 30-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and has
been bailed pending further inquiries.
========================================================================
Unbelievable, you just couldn't make it up!
Why do people pay for the police?
--
Mr X
Mr X