Fear of other violence

You can be in fear of violence from someone other than a person that you are in a relationship with, or related to. You may be in fear from:

• someone you believe to be in a gang
• someone you owe money to
• someone who you have reported (or are believed to have reported) to the Police or another agency who has made threats against you
• a neighbour who you have had disagreement with
• other residents living in your area or groups that you feel are targeting you

The person or persons you fear may have already been violent to you, or they may have threatened violence against you.

If you are in fear of violence from a partner, former partner or family member please refer to Domestic Abuse

What you can do if you in fear of violence

If you are at immediate risk then you should telephone 999 and ask for help from the Police.

Telling someone is the first step. This can be a support worker you already know, a service you are using now or have in the past such as Sanctuary Supported Living, Drug and Alcohol services, Social Services, mental health workers or your own landlord if you are a tenant of a Housing Association.

The Police can offer you advice and support to help you to deal with the situation. It is important that you work with agencies so that they can assess the risk to you and take steps to protect you if necessary.

If you no longer feel safe and believe that you may be at risk remaining in your home then you can also seek help from the Council's Housing Options team. For more information please refer to Homeless or threatened with homelessness?

Cuckooing

Cuckooing is a term used for when people involved in organised crime target someone they think is vulnerable, gain their trust and access to their home usually in order to sell drugs.

You may not know the person well, and often they are a 'friend of a friend,' but they may offer you money, drugs or alcohol to stay with you for a night or two. Once they gain your trust, they slowly begin to take control of you and your home. They may start to invite people into your home, or ask that you look after something that belongs to them in your home. They may only be with you for a few hours each week, or they may stay for several days at a time. They will keep returning.

You may have tried to ask them to leave or tried to stop them entering your home, but they may have persuaded you to allow them in, or offered you more alcohol or drugs. They may have said that you owe them for something, or they may have made threats against you, or your family and friends if you do not allow them into your home.

If you believe that this is happening to you then it is important that you seek help. You can telephone the Police on 101 and they can offer you advice and support to try and stop the visits. If you would like to seek advice or make a report anonymously then you can telephone CrimeStoppers (opens in new tab) on 0800 555 111.  

If you no longer feel safe and believe that you may be at risk remaining in your home then you can also seek help from the Council's Housing Options Team. For more information please refer to Homeless or threatened with homelessness?