Motorist who went into police station to report crime told to phone instead

A motorist who walked into his local police station to report that his car had been vandalised was told he should call the police instead. Andy Bevan, a retired chemist, 57, had gone to his local police station, Peeler House, in Hessle, East Yorks, to report the crime. But he was told he would have to make a phone call to report the incident.

Mr Bevan left the station and was outside talking on his mobile phone when an officer went outside and told him he could use a police phone inside the station to contact the command centre. Mr Bevan said: "I told the PCSO at the counter my car was vandalised last night. He said words to the effect: 'Have you rung?' I said I'd just popped in to report it, and he said, 'You can't just pop in, you have to ring.'


Photo from here.

"I said it was absolutely outrageous and if I saw bank robbers going into a bank I couldn't come in and tell them that it was happening? They said that was different as it was a crime in progress. He said you have to ring in and gave me a card and that was it. He was being officious - in fact I'd give him 10 out of 10 for bedside manner. But I just think it's ridiculous that you can't report a crime in a police station - end of story."

Mr Bevan said he had not bothered to ring as he did not simply want a crime number so that he could claim on his insurance policy. He said: "I haven't claimed on the insurance. I actually wanted someone to be caught and punished but I don't think it's the police's remit any more."