We had a visit from a police officer a few days back, he smiled as he entered our apartment to find us all nude. He stood by the doorway into the lounge as if he was unsure about actually coming into our lounge. Then as he looked at his notebook he looked around all 5 of us and said, “Someone has complained about a woman at this address being seen naked at the front door” He paused as he looked at each one of us in turn. My wife & I both approaching 70 years young, our niece Lisa somewhere near mid thirties and her partner in his late forties. Then Lisa’s son a young teenager. Finally his smiling gaze settled on Lisa who stood by the window with the blinds closed. The officer said “I have to ask if this information could relate to you.. Miss….er..er.” Lisa nodded quite happily and answered “Miss Greening, yes officer it could be about me as I often answer a call at the door.” Moving a couple of steps into the lounge the officer clearly looked only at Lisa who stood upright and smiling. “Is it correct that you answered the door naked as you now are?” We all started laughing and just to cut this silly scene I told the officer, ” This is own home, we live as we choose. At the door there is a sign that says “Ring the bell if you are NOT offended by social nudity… Use the brass door knocker to the right of the door if nudity offends your senses.” To the best of my recollections officer that brass door knocker hasn’t been used for around 4 weeks. So whoever saw Lisa naked at the door must have been mentally prepared for that. Who has complained.?
The officer closed his notebook and turned to leave, as he got back near the door he said, “You’re okay to live as you choose, I saw your blinds were down. Just be more aware that this door opens to the public highway, there’s no further action folks good afternoon to you!” As I opened the door for him I told him, “Our neighbours are contented, 99% of our callers are fine, so when you report back to the offended 1% just tell them… they’re invited for a coffee.. however they like it !”
I love the contradiction in the French law-making! Thanks for pointing it out Madeofstars.
As for your visit from the police, Patrick, they should not have visited you according to their training. Had the officer who originally took the call from the complainant actually done his/her job right they should have simply informed the complainant that “No offences are being committed” and so, quoting from the document linked* below “No police action necessary”. This training document makes it clear that “Police attendance” is only required if the report includes an indication of “Disorderly behaviours” e.g. “Causing harassment, alarm or distress towards others” or sexual behaviour or mental disturbance. Simply being naked is non of those things.
* http://library.college.police.uk/docs/nudity.pdf (I have no idea how to turn this into a link on this site! I suggest copy/paste)
The above is a useful document to have to hand, but use it carefully as telling a police officer that they have not followed correct procedure might be counter-productive! Under under present restrictions the police were being particularly irresponsible calling on you.
Thank you Brian, I have a copy of that police.uk/docs/nudity paper on file already. I have since had a brief chat with a more senior PC who regularly patrols in this vicinity. He was surprised at the other officers actions, he said he would have a quiet ‘one-to-one’ with him. We don’t expect anymore problems and life continues !
Good to know Patrick. Police ignorance has been one of the biggest issues for Naturists over the years, which is why it’s so good that the college of policing put together that document. Before they did a Naturist wrote to all of the police authorities across the country and asked them how they thought they should deal with reports of a naked person in public and the response he got (if he got one at all!) was not good. Bear in mind that in responding to those questions they will have had time to research the correct answer, unlike if they had actually been faced with a report from the public, where they often act before thinking. That’s why that document is so important.
I would hope that all police authorities have at least seen the document and most have actually enforced its application by all officers. It would be interesting if all the police authorities were asked the same question now.
I would hope so by now. But I suspect that it has not yet spread to every police officer…
Thanks for the thought-provoking story Patrick. Personally I think however pleasant the policeman may have been, by indulging this “complaint” the police have engaged in institutionalized harassment of your way of life. As you said, being nude at home is not illegal, nor is being seen nude in passing from the public highway. The complaint should have been treated in exactly the same way as if it had been about somebody answering the door wearing a nicab. People in society are offended and frightened by minorities, and the minorities are thus marginalised, encouraged to hide to avoid abuse, and made to feel guilty for being different. When the state does not act to protect minorities t is complicit in the abuse. I find it especially ironic that the French government passed a law last year preventing people from covering their face in public. This year they passed another law making face masks compulsory in public places; effectively proving that the first law was about persecution of a minority for a behaviour which is actually considered perfectly OK now it is to be adopted by the majority.
Excellent point.
Your point about ‘harassment of our way of life’ is exactly correct. This happens in many places and not only by ‘the man in the street’. Police officers who should be better informed & more socially aware, often bring tones of harassment to their questioning. Although the incident I described in my blog was fairly light & innocuous their were times in the past when we have been ‘ selected’ for more questioning than perhaps most other people would be.
I thought that non-sexual public nudity is not illegal in UK. Am I missing something?
Thanks Patrick – SPI
You’re right, I guess some fool had been offended seeing a naked person & the police officer was just investigating in a humour style to let us know about it. (I suspect he wanted a view of the ‘nudies’ himself. Although non-sexual public nudity is not illegal here, it’s still wise to have caution where ever you are, you can still get the loud mouthed bigots who will either try and cause problems for you or they will just make a scene with their raucous voices & gestures. After some ‘trial & error’ times we soon find places where we’ll have less to deal with.
Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps he just wanted to insure that it was not a sexual environment.
Fun story. Thanks.