When do you get involved?

[Goodfella]

When you witness or suspect a crime, are you more likely to call the police, intervene yourself, or let someone else deal with it? In what kind of situations do you find each of the previous actions appropriate?

 

[Kyriakos]

When i see a crime being committed, i vote a big fat NO so as to stop it ^^

 

[gay_Aleks]

Presumably, in Greece, the criminal will also respond with 'NO!".

And then shoot you in the face.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

When i see a crime being committed, i vote a big fat NO so as to stop it ^^

I take it you voted "no" in your country's referendum?

 

[Kyriakos]

I take it you voted "no" in your country's referendum?

Is that a trick and you are trying to have me use the yes word?



(Yes. I mean... NO! hm...)

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Is that a trick and you are trying to have me use the yes word?



(Yes. I mean... NO! hm...)

What matters is that I got your reference to the referendum.

Your vote is a matter that's between your conscience and the ballot box.

 

[Kennigit]

nah man, I ain't no snitch

I would contact the local authorities of any wrongdoings done by such nefarious perpetrators forthwith.

actual answer: I don't know. I'm pretty oblivious to other people; I think I'm much more likely to report a suspicion though.

I'd like to think I would intervene in a problematic non-violent situation if it occurred in front of my eyes. E.g. if someone was continually harassing someone else, say at a store I was at or something. And I mean the kind where the cops would get involved.


I will say I am very unlikely to get involved in reporting a drug deal or usage or something [including hard drugs]. I've probably seen some deals occur but I wasn't really paying attention. E.g. walking to get food late at night and seeing what in all likelihood was drug deals in the parking lot. Just keep walking "nope--don't care".

If someone is trading crystal meth or something right across the street from me, I probably just want to get out of there and not bother to do anything about it.

 

[Borachio]

Difficult question.

I suppose the most likely situation for calling the police would involve children being abused by an adult where my own intervention would probably not meet with success, I suppose.

But other than that, I can't envisage calling the police. Nor, unless children are involved would I ever intervene myself, I think. Adults get themselves in situations which I trust they can get themselves out of, or take the consequences, without me interfering.

It all depends, though. It's a case by case thing.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

So... nobody here would bother to call the police to report a murder in progress, somebody about to jump off a bridge or a building, domestic violence, a rape, an accident, or a robbery...?

 

[bhavv]

Pretty tough question to ask when I've never witnessed any of those things so I don't know.

I likely wouldn't want to get involved.

 

[Leifmk]

Normal operation of underground economy: Ignore. (The area between the downtown train station/bus terminal and my office building is some of Oslo's prime territory for drugs & prostitution and is already full of police anyway.)

Obvious property crime: Call cops, take pictures, whatever. In theory; this has never happened to me yet.

Violent crime: Call cops, take pictures. If emergency intervention seemed like it might do some good, I still might do something stupid (have, borderline, in the distant past; basically saved a guy from a violent attack by threatening the perpetrator, who made himself scarce). For reference I'm 190 cm, 120 kg of amateur powerlifter with extensive martial arts background. Not an amazing badass or anything but anyone who'd want to pick a fight with me would either have to be an actual badass or insane (this has not actually happened since I was in middle school).

 

[Yeekim]

What Leif said, down to references even.
EDIT: Ok, I don't have "extensive" martial arts background.

 

[downtown]

I have called the police multiple times (to report drunk drivers, an assault, multiple domestic violence incidents, and over a drug dealer neighbor), and I'd do it again.

I'd never do anything for just regular drug use, but if violence is involved, or if it's in my apartment building, I'll let the authorities know.

 

[Farm Boy]

One might tender that regular drug use happens in most apartment buildings?

 

[Perfection]

When I'm not the perpetrator...


I'll call in dealing if it occurs repeatedly in my area by the same people who act really shady about it. Other crimes if my call might prevent harm.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

There is no situation so bad that bringing in the cops won't make it worse. Generally speaking a friendly "Hey, watcha doin'?" puts a stop to just about any crime in progress.

 

[warpus]

The only time I ever called the cops was when a woman showed up at my door with bruises on her face, sobbing, and claims that her boyfriend had been beating her.

Turns out she needed me to call them, because they had stopped responding to her calls. I guess she had been calling them many times, many of those call frivolous.. Well.. what can I say, the bruises looked real, and her pain felt real too. I didn't mind calling, but I never saw her again after that night.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

A cold compress is more effective for treating bruises than a badge.

 

[Kennigit]

There is no situation so bad that bringing in the cops won't make it worse. Generally speaking a friendly "Hey, watcha doin'?" puts a stop to just about any crime in progress.

Only a sith speaks in absolutes.....

Though do you really think cops make everything worse?

 

[Leifmk]

What Leif said, down to references even.
EDIT: Ok, I don't have "extensive" martial arts background.

Well, I am a bit out of practice now. If I were ever to get in a fight, someone would get messed up, not easy to say who...