'Police won't pay £1,400 bill for kicking my door in'

GMP REFUSES TO COMPENSATE HOMEOWNER AS '999 CALLER GAVE WRONG ADDRESS'

- By JAMES HOLT

A MAN has been left outraged after the police wrongly broke down the door to his apartment during a 999 call - and have now refused to pay for the damage.

Chun, who moved to Manchester from Hong Kong after the Covid-19 pandemic, says the front door to his apartment in Denton, which was empty due to him selling it and moving house, was left wide open for weeks after police wrongly targeted his home on December 15 last year.

He has claimed he has since footed the bill for installing a new fire door - costing more than £1,400 - under the impression that Greater Manchester Police would then compensate him.

But after months of being 'passed around like a football,' the force has refused to pay out for the damage because officers had been 'given the wrong address' by the 999 caller and that they were, therefore, not at fault.

However, the wording on Greater Manchester Police's own website reads: "You can ask the police for compensation for things like forced entry (eg, the police were given the wrong address and broke down your front door by mistake)."