Nuisance caller
Question
I have received a very abusive and threatening phone call late at night about my wife, from a work colleague who she manages. Can we expect the employer or the police to take any action?
Answer
Making a malicious phone call could be a criminal offence, so you would be within your rights to report the incident to the police. If the phone calls or other such behaviour re-occur it might be worth keeping a diary to assist the police. The police have the power to authorise your phone service provider to trace the calls and override any measures put in place by the caller to try to conceal their identity.
You should be aware that should the case go to court you will be required to stand as a witness. You could also consider taking civil action to obtain an injunction against the caller. This could be a stressful process but would certainly be worth considering if the calls persist.
Since the harassment is not taking place at work your wife's employer cannot act.
Most phone service providers have procedures in place in order to deal with any such problems, look for the code of practice on the website of the phone company you use. BT has specially trained staff to help clients take action to solve the problem of malicious phone calls. You can call them 24 hours a day on Freefone 0800 661 441.
The easiest option is probably to change your telephone number and make sure that the new number is ex-directory. This way you avoid further phone calls and the problems related to pursuing the caller. If you begin to receive phone calls on this new number you may wish to contact the police.
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Question answered by CAB
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