AboutBruce Fyfe Expertise Scottish Criminal Law - any area. NOT IMMIGRATION ISSUES. I am a serving, operational Police Officer with 25 years` service. As well as my own knowledge and training, I can draw on many other resources in the Scottish criminal justice system and welcome the challenge.
NB Scottish, not English; criminal, not civil or immigration;
Expert: Bruce Fyfe Date: 11/10/2005 Subject: harrassment
Question my family & i are being pestered by some local teenagers (eg) silent or nuisance phone calls ,number withheld,ordering takaway meals knocking on windows & running away although we have no definate proof we know who they are what steps can i take to stop this?
Answer Alex
Ultimately, report it to the Police - this constitutes Breach of the Peace and offences under the Communications Act 2003.
More practically, especially as you have to live there, not the Police Officer who comes and deals with it, contact the Nuisance Bureau at BT. You can call their freefone no. - 0800 661 441 - 24/7 and their Nuisance Advisors will help you with advice on the best course of action.
You can actually help yourself by the way you and your family answer the phone and by setting up the phone to decline withheld numbers. You could also contact the local takeaway, explain the circumstances and either say that you never want a delivery or arrange a simple password.
You can also have your calls intercepted, which is free for the first month. We find that, in the vast majority of cases, that month is all it takes.
BT also have a fairly new scheme called Choose to Refuse, where you (have to pay, but) can bar calls from certain numbers.
If the basics don't work, report it to the Police and ask for your local Community PC to come and speak to you about it. A quiet word from him to the parents might work - then again it might not be suitable. If it carries on and gets that bad, he might even consider an ASBO.
Whatever you do, don't react to the kids - that's exactly what they want and you might end up being reported yourself.
Good luck and here's the website address for BT Customer Services Nuisance Calls for you to look through.
