Mrs Edwards decided to pay the amount she owed in £1 instalments
Barbara Edwards, 78
A pensioner has described the ‘shocking’ moment police turned up at her home after a dispute over a £10 payment. Barbara Edwards, from Middleton, says she found herself embroiled in a spat with a local business after it was claimed she had not paid the full bill for a service provided.
The business had asked Mrs Edwards to pay a further £10, but after a disagreement over the amount, she told the Manchester Evening News she decided to pay the sum in £1 instalments each day – describing her own behaviour as “childish”.
By Wednesday, with £8 left to pay, two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) arrived at her door, with the interaction lasting around 30 minutes. Mrs Edwards said the officers accused her of committing a crime.
“I said I don’t agree, but they weren’t listening and were intimidating and putting me down,” she said.
“I felt like what I had to say did not matter and they were just rude to me, very rude. The whole situation was ludicrous.”
She also criticised the officers for not introducing themselves to her properly. During the visit Mrs Edwards said the officers had made a comment on her pets, including a Cane Corso dog she describes as “scary” but safe. “I get it’s a big dog and it’s scary,” she said.
One of the officers had asked Mrs Edwards to put her dog into another room but she refused saying her dog would “take the door off” knowing she was in a separate room.
She claimed that one of the officers warned: “If you do not control that dog I will call the van and get him seized.”
Hearing this, Mrs Edwards says she felt uncomfortable in her own home and suggested they should leave.
“I thought it was a joke. They had no right to make these comments. I was angry and shocked at what she said to me,” she said.
Mrs Edwards also said the officers were adamant that she sign a letter accusing her of theft.
“I signed it to get rid of them,” she said. “It wasn’t their place to say that.”
She also spoke about how her pets are her support system and the love she has for them.
“I love my cats and dogs, they keep me going, they are everything to me as I live on my own,” she said.
Following the encounter, Mrs Edwards complained to the police about how she was treated. In response, the force offered their apologies, but Mrs Edwards refused to accept them, calling them “weak”.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “We have received a complaint with regards to the conduct of officers visiting a woman as part of an investigation.
“We remain in contact with the complainant and are assessing the report appropriately.”