Police raid

[warpig3]

Mrwarpig has a small flat which he rents out. The tenant phoned last night to say that she was raided by the police (drug squad). They broke down the front door and searched the place. They didnt find anything and she wasn't arrested.

Will the police pay for the door to be replaced (was broken in two)?

many thanks
warpig

[redcrx]

oh dear warpig.

i dont know if they replace it but they shoulkdve made it secure for now.

i suggest you call the station and speak to officer in charge. whilst speaking to him try and get some info as often places arent raided willy nilly, theyve often been watched for a while. just cos they havnt found anything doesnt always mnean its innocent as i know from my neighbour!

hope mr warpig doesnt end up out of pocket!

on a lighter note, i put amelia down at midnight and shes just got up, yey!

[warpig3]

Bloomin' heck, wish Lexi would do that!

The door is secure for now but I too reckon there is more than the tenant is telling us. She said she was in trouble (drugs related, I suspect dealing) 10 years ago but nothing since. She said she met up with some aquaintances from that time and thinks that this is how it happened. Personally I think not, as am sure the police dont (usually) go breaking down doors just because of who you hang out with. Unfortunately the flat is in another town and we have no way of knowing of the 'comings and goings' and only have her word for now.

Mrwarpig rang the police station last night but apparently the drug squad only work monday to friday, lol. I am assuming they are out busting people at the weekends or else that would be the perfect time to peddle ones wares.

Will ring them again on Monday.

[redcrx]

someone at the statiuon should at least be able to tell you if theyll repair it, i have to say i doubt they will.

Oh and they wont have just raided her on the offchance. They will have been following her 'aquaintances' and have reason for concern at that property or else theyd have just searched her friends outside.

get all the info you can get, thats the last thing you want to happen in the flat. In the house next door they found (on the 3rd raid) that the tenant had wired out her electriciy meter! They still havnt caught her with anything in house but she is listed as being a crack house at station!

[warpig3]

I kinda get the sinking feeling they wont repair it either, which is a bummer as door and frame need replaced apparently.

Also looks like mrwarpig will be looking for a new tenant depending on what info the police gave us. The flat is in a nice little complex and I am sure he will be hearing from the other residents at some stage.

The women next door to you, did you notice anything suspicious, a lot of comings and goings etc?

[redcrx]

oh yes, people turning up all through the night, loud music and rather strange people hanging about. We even found a bong outside the house! and i called the police because a group of youngsters were in a garage nearby hiding. Police caught them with drugs

im not sure how you can get rid unless her lease is up or she gets done for it

[warpig3]

Well she has passed her six month tenancy so it is month to month from now on. We have never had any problems with her and her rent is always paid on time. That said, as we dont live nearby its hard to know what is really going on.

From what you say about your neighbour that would be the kind of shenanigans I would have expected but as the other residents have not contacted us perhaps all is ok. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

[Annlinda]

As has been said before the police don't carry out a raid on the off chance of finding something. In the first instance they must convince a Magistrate that there is reliable information of unlawful activity before the Mag wil sign a search warrant allowing the police to enter and search/

[pink-kittens]

Why on earth should you be paying for it (if indeed as I suspect the police will not)?
It is she who should foot the bill, after all it is/was her under suspicion of something.

I would look a little further into this myself before paying to fix something that would not be broken if she abided by the law

[warpig3]

Thanks guys. Good point annlinda, never even thought about the need for a search warrant. Also forgot about the deposit she paid which would cover the cost of replacement.

will post back when I get more info.

many thanks
warpig

[pink-kittens]

Yes, deduct from the deposit when she leaves - good idea!
No way should you be paying for this at all

[Skyline D]

I'm no legal expert and maybe I watch too many police shows on tv but I don't think they are allowed to break the door down unless they have been refused entry or believe a crime is in the process of being committed do they?

In which case I'd presume that the tenant is responsible for the cost if she refused to open the door to a legal search warrant and the police probably are if they broke it down without asking first. Either way I wouldn't have thought the flat owner would be liable in theory.

[warpig3]

The tenant wasn't there at the time, so she tells us. They broke in and searched the place and in the meantime other officers drove to her friends house (where she was) and picked her up, put her in handcuffs and drove her back to the flat and made her stay outside while they continued the search. How they knew where she was is anybodys guess (unless of course they were watching her movements). Its all very strange to say the least.

The reason I was asking about who would pay for the damage is that I reckoned it would be extremely difficult to get the money from the tenant for the repairs, until I was reminded of her deposit.