I was assaulted by a male relative who grabbed me round the throat and tried to lift me off the ground. He had installed himself in my mother’s home, declared himself her next of kin and carer, and blocked all of her friends, relatives, and neighbours from seeing her. She suffered from dementia, which due to his controlling her every move and isolating her from the world, she didn’t receive a diagnosis until her condition was very advanced. I called the police because I was shaken and afraid for my mother’s safety. It took 6 hours for an officer arrived, when he did I noticed he didn’t have his number on his lapels. I asked for his number, which he said “let’s just find out what’s happened and then I can give you that later”. He asked me what had happened and what I did for a living, which I told him (I work in the legal profession). He spoke to my relative separately in another room, came back, and then told me my relative claimed I’d attacked him and he’d acted in self defence. This relative is just shy of 6 feet tall and a heavy build (being into weight training), I’m just shy of 5’2″ and slight build. I had bruises round my throat and a broken voice, was visibly shaken and upset. Regardless of this I was told that if the officer arrested my relative he’d also have to arrest me – which would be the end of my career. I had no choice but to agree not to take the matter further. His manner was overbearing and intimidating. I was so upset and shaken that I only realised after he left that he had not given me his ID. Two to 3 years later my mother was removed from her home under an emergency place of safety order after social services finally learned that my mother was being physically, emotionally, and financially abused. Some years after this I overheard my relative bragging to an associate that he had a “mate”in the Greater Manchester Police force, who he’d been introduced to through joining the Masons, and that he was a useful contact whenever he wanted inside information from the police database or “wanted someone sorted out”. This relative has swindled money and property out of several vulnerable, elderly people and has been arrested more than once but never charged. He selects elderly victims who have severe physical illness or have dementia. He’s walked away with hundreds of thousands of pounds and is physically and financially dangerous. I’ve since learned that he’s had two other encounters with people, and on each occasion this police officer has turned up and warned them to “stay away” from my relative. Despite complaints having been made to this police officer no disciplinary action has ever been taken against him. The last excuse to be given (when he turned up to a complainant’s house when the complaint hadn’t been assigned to him) was that he was “just a little bit over zealous, had just been passing, heard the complaint called in, and thought he’d attend to help out”. These are supposed to be impartial upholders of the law, people we can trust and turn to. I’m now extremely fearful of the police. In my experience they are just power mad thugs in uniforms. I would NEVER trust a male police officer and I certainly wouldn’t trust Greater Manchester Police. I work in the legal field and in my line of work we are held to the highest standard and are held to account if we act in anything other than an exemplary manner. Until this I have always respected the uniform and the person in it, but not now. These police forces are cesspits for the dregs of humanity, they don’t uphold the law they bend it to their own ends.
Constabulary: Greater Manchester Police
Timespan: In around 2008/9
Did you report it to the police?: Yes
Your ethnicity: White British
Have you experienced suicidality due to this?: Thoughts/feelings
Are you disabled as defined under the Equality Act 2010?: Prefer not to say
