Professional

I called the police yesterday. An elderly gentleman whom I have been helping with his official paperwork had stopped answering his phone, so I dropped round to see him. There was mail in the letterbox, and no reply to the bell, so I decided to ring his local pub, where he was a daily fixture, to see if they had seen him. When they said that he hadn't been in for a few days I rang the non-999 number for my local police. The operator I spoke to was polite friendly and helpful, and told me, once I had given all the information that I had, that they would send an officer to check up on things.

I had a phone call about 45 minutes later from a very professional PC who told me that he had been to the flat, forced entry, and found the old chap dead in bed. He took a few more details from me, and said that I would be kept in touch with developments.

This was real bread-and-butter local policing, and it was done, in my opinion, about as well as it could have been done. Thanks to those involved.