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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Think cleaner stealing

93 replies

HormonalHeap · 13/04/2016 19:37

Been here a month, came from advert with 2 references. Dd hid £50 in a drawer her grandma gave her- gone. She's also missing a couple of yoga pants. Plan to leave bait in view of dd's computer and film her.

Would the police accept this as evidence and what would happen? She has a CRB cert but stupidly I didn't photocopy it.

OP posts:
Dutchess61 · 13/04/2016 19:41

How old is DD? You may be absolutely spot on but seems strange it's only happened to her.

Original poster
HormonalHeap · 13/04/2016 19:44

Thanks, she's 18. Does have a lot of stuff and hard to tell of something's gone missing from her 'floordrobe'. Cleaner has a dd the same age.

OP posts:
MsVestibule · 13/04/2016 19:50

What is the relevance of the cleaner having a DD the same age as you Confused.

Skittlesss · 13/04/2016 19:50

CRB is only good for identifying people who have already been caught. Defo sounds dodgy. I would set some kind of non-obvious trap.

Dollymixtureyumyum · 13/04/2016 19:52

Maybe Mark some notes and leave them out

WonkoTheSane42 · 13/04/2016 19:52

What is the relevance of the cleaner having a DD the same age as you

Presumably the OP is suggesting the cleaner is stealing her daughter's clothes for her own child.

Dutchess61 · 13/04/2016 19:53

Well someone is dodgy. I'd do the trap thing too for piece of mind.

Original poster
HormonalHeap · 13/04/2016 19:53

The relevance is she has a girl of a similar age and my dd's clothes are disappearing! Thanks Skittlesss.

OP posts:
MsVestibule · 13/04/2016 19:53

*yours

DustyBustle · 13/04/2016 19:54

What is the relevance of the cleaner having a DD the same age as you confused.

because the cleaner could be stealing the householder DD's stuff for her own DD, isn't that obvious?

DustyBustle · 13/04/2016 19:55

xp by miles. sorry.

MsVestibule · 13/04/2016 19:56

She may be the same age, but is she the same size? Does she do yoga? Weird assumption that she is stealing clothes for her own daughter, especially when they're for something so specific.

RudeElf · 13/04/2016 19:57

Has DD had any friends round. Have experience of teen friends stealing.

Dellarobia · 13/04/2016 19:58

I've been in your position - I just sacked the cleaner. Couldn't be arsed to faff around with traps.

MsVestibule · 13/04/2016 20:01

But yes, to answer your question, I would imagine that if you did film her stealing something, the police would accept it as evidence.

Original poster
HormonalHeap · 13/04/2016 20:01

They're not just for yoga, dd wears them around. No chance it's dd's friends as she drives so meets friends out. I also think because dd's room is such a tip she thinks she won't notice, whereas I'm more tidy.

Just wondering though if I get evidence, apart from telling her to go, is there anything else I can do?

OP posts:
Bohemond · 13/04/2016 20:15

I heard a story on the radio today about a couple that caught the carers of their elderly DF stealing from him. The police prosecuted but only for the stealing where they had evidence ie the video.

RudeElf · 13/04/2016 20:17

You could tell your Dd to tidy her room and actually look for her things before accusing someone else of taking them.

lalalalyra · 13/04/2016 20:21

Be very sure before you do anything. We had a similar problem and yet on the occasions laid bait nothing happened. Turned out it was because the theif was DS's "best" friend. DS had, of course, confided in him about the plan and therefore he kept his sticky fingers to himself.

The only reason he got caught is because o began to suspect one of my own children so didn't tell them about the next trap.

ItsLikeRainOnYourWeddingDay · 13/04/2016 20:23

I'm sorry but I have no sympathy if she is stealing. You found her in an advert! How do you know the references weren't her best friends or sister?

You need to get your dd to give her room a good going over before you say anything.

RudeElf · 13/04/2016 20:25

I'm sorry but I have no sympathy if she is stealing. You found her in an advert! How do you know the references weren't her best friends or sister?

Do you assume all tradespeople who advertise their services are falsifying references and testimonials and are thieves or is it just cleaners you expect it from?

andintothefire · 13/04/2016 20:50

I thought you generally have to tell employees if they are being filmed? Though there may be an argument that it is justified if you suspect criminal activity.

You could perhaps just tell your cleaner that you are installing CCTV for security in bedrooms / living areas and wanted to let her know that she will be filmed. That might be enough of a deterrent!

Original poster
HormonalHeap · 13/04/2016 20:52

Thanks Bohemond we've caught one out before with dd's computer recording so will be doing the same.

Obviously I'm not going to even mention it to her without evidence. RudeElf dd hid a £50 not in her drawer and it's gone. Why would she not accuse the cleaner when no one else goes up there? And she's is in the process of tidying her floordrobe.

One of the cleaner's references was a local family.

OP posts:
Original poster
HormonalHeap · 13/04/2016 20:53

Andintothefire we only have cctv outside the house unfortunately, not inside.

OP posts:
AHintOfStyle · 13/04/2016 20:59

Has anything else gone missing apart from your DD's stuff?