I was having difficulties sleeping (okay I was surfing Kickstarter) when I heard what sounded like a man and a woman screaming and shouting, interspersed with the occasional thumping sound. It was 3AM on a very boring night so I went to check it out and, though it was difficult, managed to find the apartment from which it seemed to be coming. New neighbours. I rang the doorbell and suddenly it was quiet, but no-one opened either.
Now, neighbours having rows in the middle of the night isn't a new experience (although it's the first time I've heard anything in this house), but those thumping sounds and the way she was screaming were unsettling, so I called the cops who were there within 5 minutes
they had been fighting about something, but no-one seemed to have been hurt, and they got worried when I rang the doorbell. It's a very young couple so I hope that'll be the end of it and that I haven't just ensured that they do it quietly from now on. They know who sicked the cops on 'em though so that'll be awkward I guess.
I'm glad. I've had to call the cops on crazy couples a few times, and they've always checked it out promptly. Unfortunately, they can't always do much more than to show themselves and make a general assessment, ask if anyone wants help, and then scamper off again. That's why you need nosy persistent friends and neighbours I guess. If nothing else you can always give someone who might need it a nearby place to hide out right when they need it. So... if you hear people going bump in the night, consider being a busybody