Am in Kafkaesque bike theft nightmare - long rant.

[sillywoman]

Aaaargh, so frustrated. Boy's bike stolen from school Friday 3pm. I went to school to report it at 3.40pm. assured that school would pass it onto School policeman. I could call police if I wanted, they would just pass it to school policeman anyway, but up to me.

Sat morning; after night of consideration, phoned met police as belt & braces approach given a number, told someone would call me back within 72 hours. By this time we have the name of boy who stole bike (the big brother of a boy in my boy's class), & info that the bike is in his house. Police took details but nothing will be "actioned" until they call me back with crime reference number.

Sunday; Nothing.

Monday; went up to school to meet school policeman. He doesn't turn up. School try to tell me to come back on Wednesday. They can't do anything, Policeman has to handle it. I ask if there's cctv footage. With a great deal of reluctance the school go and look, there is footage which clearly shows bike being stolen by a big boy from the school (same one as we were told had it). Told to leave it with them, they'll show school policeman, he'll follow it up.

Tuesday; Nothing from police or school. Sensibleman contacts school. Told all is well, have spoken to culprit & his parents & bike will be back tomorrow ('why not today?' I ask - Sensibleman glares at me).

Today, I phone police & phone school. Get told something by a dragon about school having a duty of care to all it's pupils so can't tell me anything at all. I go to school. Finally get phone call from police with crime number; am told now they'll pass it on & someone should be in touch in a few days (I think "AAaaaaarrrgh', but don't say so). Meet very nice man from school. He says school has done all they can (interviewed all boys concerned & called in culprits parents). It's up to police now. As yet no contact at all from school policeman. I stamp my feet & say I want school policeman to phone me today. I want school policeman to take culprit home, collect bike & bring it to me/ school. I don't want to wait for culprit to bring bike in his own good time i.e. never. I suspect the minute culprit knew his game was up he sold/ dumped bike & is now laughing up his sleeve at ineffectual beaurocratic faffing. Nice man agrees, but school policeman was on a training course yesterday and is at another school today. I couldn't care less. I am cross now & want action from someone.

In Sainsbury's; phone call from school policeman. I am very cross and don't hide it. He says he'll go & get bike tomorrow. He finishes work at other school at 3.30 and won't have time today. I say 'Today'. I say surely Southwark has more than one policeman, surely another policeman can go with boy and get it? It doesn't have to be him. He defensive and aggressive in tone (probably as response to me being angry, to be fair), at some point he says something like "well if it's so important why didn't you report it until saturday?" then I ask for his boss's name & number. End conversation by saying that I want him to call me back by 3pm to update me, he agrees.

My boys bike is at the house of another boy who has stolen it. The other boy lives over the road from us. Why is it so hard for someone, police, school anyone to go with the boy to his home and get it? If the bike had been stolen & was gone we could be cross/upset, put it down to big-city-living, and then put it behind us, but this is becoming a frustrating saga. I just can't understand how training days and working at other schools can be justification for not going to get back my boys bike. The bike isn't even the big issue for us now, it's the principle - that a kid can be allowed to get away with thieving because of beaurocracy - what message does that give him?

If the bike doesn't come back (fat chance now I'm thinking) can we sue the police for knowing where the bike was & not acting to get it returned? Do we press charges on the big kid? That probably won't do much to help him in the long run, or stop him from doing it again, but it seems the only recourse to justice that we have? Any advice as to what to do in this situation gratefully received.

[vinceayre]

Just go and get the bike yourself, don't involve plod they are absolutely useless and not in the least bit interested. They will probably want to council the thief for all the trauma you've put him through.

[PeckhamRose]

Go to the next Police Ward Panel for your area with the print out of this rant, and demand an explanation.

This is ridiculous and awful and my heart goes out to you.

[*Bob*]

Sounds annoying. Can't send heart out though. Reserve heart going out for more serious stuff.

Nip over road and ask for bike back.

If resistance is met, shout in street until someone calls the Police.

[PeckhamRose]

But this IS serious stuff in the long run, because the culprit was identified, we know where he lives, and so the police's hard work is done. All they need to do is keep their promises and get the bike and arrest the thief.

If they can't do THAT, we can have little faith in them.

Check out The Police Pledge - see if they have broken it - it has nothing to do with furniture polish, promise.

Go to the police station and make an official complaint and show how it has broken (if it has) that pledge.

[Brendan]

Have you spoken to this thing?s parents? Surely they should have disciplined him and made him the return the bike and apologise?

[JetSetWilly]

so after wading through that crap, the bike is actually just over the road, go and bloody get it yourself. sillywoman.

[*Bob*]

Not saying it's not serious.

Just not serious enough to send out heart.

Are the family over the road Guardian-reading, organic vegetable-munchers..? Or are they tattooed alcoholics with a penchant for aggression at the slightest provocation?

I suppose that's the biggie.

[skidmarks]

My ex is a teacher. She worked in a state school where every room had CCTV. A laptop was stolen, the CCTV was examined and the culprit identified. However, nothing was done about it as the headteacher decided that he didn?t want to give the school a bad name! The thief wasn?t even told in passing that they knew it was him.

[phillyboy]

What school was it?

[lenk]

Have you ever read 'The Trial'?

This isn't especially what I would call 'Kafkaesque'

[skidmarks]

edit: wrong post

[woofmarkthedog]

That fence must be comfy, get off it & go and get your bike F.C.O

Please.....

W**F

[mumra]

Well I think this is wrong on lots of counts and you have the right to be pretty peed off with it all. The school in my mind should have been more proactive in following up the theft and assuring your son (and you) that they would do their best to return. Taking possessions within a school is not only theft but is pure bullying at it's most base form after all. Furthemore it is crucial that the message comes from a person in authority when the bike is being reclaimed as that will serve as a warning to not do it again. In my mind it should be school representative+police that go round to this boy's house.

[sillywoman]

Ah, gave the wrong impression. The boy does live over the road, in a nearby street, but we don't know what number in that street otherwise I would have been round there knocking on his door, believe me.

Jetsetwilly, subject field described 'long rant' No-one made you wade through my crap.

Lenk, have read 'the Trial', the situation feels Kafkaesque to me.

[lenk]

> Lenk, have read 'the Trial', the situation feels

> Kafkaesque to me.

Perhaps, albeit on a millionth of the scale

[James]

Sillywoman you have my sympathy. The sad thing is, given my experience of the police, it seems pretty familiar. On one occasion I had my wallet stolen and money fraudulently withdrawn from my bank account. Was given conflicting information about what to do from different police officers. When I eventually got to see someone his response was "How do I know you haven't just staged the theft with a friend of yours and pocketed the money?" Talk about complete lack of empathy and total disinterest in doing their job.

For me persistence is key. Keep hassling them - in the end they will want to take action just to get you off their back! Threaten to take the matter further. If all else fails try your local MP.

[louisiana]

This reminds me of an incident, way back, when the police in Forest Hill could not find any officers to attend a robbery in progress (elderly neighbour's flat, she was in when break-in occurred) just across the road from the police station. Apparently you had to ring Catford to get someone to walk across the road in Forest Hill.

Any large bureaucracy will begin to function in accordance with its internal requirements, not its raison d'etre. I used to think electing officials - US-style - was a strange idea, but these days I'm not so sure.

[Muley]

What Peckham Rose and Mumra said.

Also probably worth a letter to the head of the school- copying in the school governors, which should wake him/her up a bit- emphasising that it is a form of bullying and that, as such, you expect them to deal with the situation

[HAL9000]

James Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> .... If all else fails try your local MP.

BWAHAHAHA!

Good luck if it's either Tweedle-dum or Tweedle-dee (aka Tessa Jowell or Harriet Harman). Just don't hold your breath.

[Loz]

OK, I'm going to go all Daily Mail here...

This is theft. The kid is a thief. Getting someone to just get the bike back is not going to get the message across. Press charges against him. Maybe if he cries and begs and mows your lawn for the next forty-three years, drop them, but don't let him get away with this. Don't let the police fob you off.

[sillywoman]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Peckham Rose; I will try and go to the Police Ward Panel (do you know when & where?) and I'll check out the Police Pledge too.

Bob; you're right it is just annoying in the great scheme of things & I quite understand you reserving your heart for more serious stuff. Quite right too. Though I did appreciate the support of PR's heart :).

Lenk; Yes, a tiny millionth of the scale, but looming large in my life right now. Still, I take your point.

James; I've already come to the conclusion that yours is the only way to get a response. I've hassled and foot stamped all day and will continue 'til I get some action. They're sick of me already and probably just want to be rid of me -the feeling's entirely mutual.

HAL900; LOL at your post.

woofmarkthedog: Sensibleman is of the same opinion as you, if we can we'll be pressing charges regardless of my liberal leftie fence sitting ways. You're a man(dog) after his own heart - and Loz's too by the sound of it.

Update; duffer school policeman called back. He's going round to boys house tomorrow morning with a van & has called boys parents to tell them he expects them to be in to hand over the bike. Personally think he's in lala land if he really thinks that's going to happen, but we'll see. Hope I'm proved wrong. Thanks again for the posts. SW.

[PeckhamRose]

The Nunhead and Peckham Rye Police Ward Panels meet every 3 months at Harris Girls Academy, 7.00pm.

The next one is Thursday 3rd September.

Might be a good idea to email your local police or safer neighbourhood thingy and ask them if your road is in this area, or another one. If another one, then find out when that ward panel is and let everyone else on here know it too!

[sillywoman]

Guess what? I was wrong. Got a 'phone call to say that bike was back in school this morning. Have been down & got it - a bit battered & some bits missing which school have said they'll pay to replace then get the money back from the boys. Thanks for all the support. We'll be taking it further I think and following up on some of your suggestions, the communication & information available to us was so appalling it not only increased the stress, but created stress of its own. Thanks again, SW