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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

DS's bike stolen from school - AIBU to involve the police?

78 replies

PorkyPandora · 30/03/2017 18:06

DS's mountain bike disappeared from secondary school on Tuesday. There is a bike shed which is locked but it's not big enough so many pupils leave their bikes against the railings inside the school grounds.

DS did not secure it with his bike chain which was attached to his bike (he has learned his lesson now). TBF a lot of the other bikes were not tied up either when I looked for his bike the day after as the kids assume they are safe in school grounds.

I emailed the school first thing the next morning, with a picture of the bike. DS went to his Year Head who had received the email but said there was no CCTV in the area and as he hadn't secured it there was nothing they could do.

At lunchtime, DH spoke to the office who said the caretaker had reviewed the CCTV (so there was some) and saw a child in uniform take the bike and he would be further reviewing the CCTV to identify the child and leave it with the Head teacher to deal with. Caretaker came over to DH while he was being told this and confirmed it.

Last night I get a call from the school pastoral manager who said there was no CCTV in the area and as DS had not secured his bike there was nothing they could do! I then repeated what DH had been told which the lady knew nothing about and she said she would speak to the caretaker.

So today passes with no news. DS has not been informed of anything and I have little confidence in the school dealing with it so I decide to report it to the police who have said they will request the CCTV from the school.

AIBU or should school have dealt with this quicker?

OP posts:
Original poster
PorkyPandora · 31/03/2017 15:56

Please do Kitty. I found her to be ruder and MN has seen a lot worse. I am sure if she was that offended she would have reported herself but go ahead and be offended on her behalf if you have nothing else to do.

OP posts:
Firesuit · 31/03/2017 17:10

Thatcher's children - it's only wrong if someone catches you

Surely that's the opposite of the truth. Thatcher was for people paying their own way, it's her opponents who believe in redistribution.

Firesuit · 31/03/2017 17:11
Smile
maddening · 31/03/2017 17:30

Yanbu - i reckon the school saw that it was another pupil and don't want to get involved - the info dh was given was more than just a "there mayou have been cctv" it was stated that there is film of a dc in uniform taking the bike.

And no one who is a victim of any crime deserves it even if they could have been more careful.

maddening · 31/03/2017 17:33

Trifle - i am sure the police can do the job of checking the cctv.

I am sure also though that school employees should take crimes committed on school property seriously and aid a police investigation.

MNHQ
PresidentOliviaMumsnet · 31/03/2017 17:45

Evening
Anyone need a link to the talk guidelines?

SlinkyTink · 31/03/2017 17:46

I don't get why Trifle is getting such a bashing. I don't think she was victim blaming at all. Confused Saying that she wouldn't have time to investigate it seems fair enough.

OP, I think I'd find out for sure whether or not their is CCTV and then decide what to do from there.

I'm actually shocked that kids at a secondary school wouldn't all lock their bikes. I used to lock mine and that was about a million years ago and it was a lovely school in a rural area. Confused

Trifleorbust · 31/03/2017 20:51

I missed the comment that was reported.

Anyway, I very rarely report anything as I believe abusive people's posts speak for them.

I remain happy to say that I would investigate this if the child had locked up the bike.

BeaderBird · 31/03/2017 21:02

Of course call the police. If your bike was stolen from Tesco would you expect Tesco to investigate? More than likely you would just expect them to cooperate with the police once you had called them...

walruswhiskers · 31/03/2017 21:08

You will need a crime number to claim on insurance won't you?

flumpsnshit · 31/03/2017 22:04

Things were stolen out of one of my teachers cars at school, they had forgotten to lock it. I'm pretty sure cars are also left at owners own risk. But they school still turned the place upside down trying to find the culprit sixth former hth trifle would probably tell them it was their own fault unless it was her car

Trifleorbust · 01/04/2017 04:28

flumpsnshit:

Trifle would tell them to report the theft to the police. I would have no problem with them examining the CCTV in their own time. I wouldn't expect another teacher or member of the admin team to do it.

wowfudge · 01/04/2017 05:39

But the issue here is surely that the OP has been told there is no CCTV of the area, but her DS has been told there is and furthermore that the culprit can be seen. I'm sure the OP wouldn't mind looking at the CCTV if given the opportunity, given that the school's response so far has been contradictory.

Trifleorbust · 01/04/2017 06:33

wowfudge:

They can't provide her with the CCTV footage - that would be illegal. I don't think she would be unreasonable in asking about the discrepancy at all. I can't think how it would be anything other than a misunderstanding - unless the CCTV footage shows the Head making off with the bike, if it is there and the culprit is on it, I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't just say so.

SabineUndine · 01/04/2017 06:41

To me the whole issue is that the school has evidence and they're doing nothing about it. Bike policy or no, they're trying to avoid the issue. I'd be involving the police too.

Megatherium · 01/04/2017 06:46

The thing is, whether they want to be involved or to, the school will be anyway if the police investigate - because they will be asked to identify the culprit and give contact details. They won't have an option to say they're too busy and it's all the pupil's fault anyway so why should they bother. So really they might as well have a look at the CCTV anyway and sort this out.

Trifleorbust · 01/04/2017 07:04

Megatherium:

The school would be asked to hand over the CCTV, not just tell the police who did it. And if no CCTV exists, they will simply tell the police this. I very much doubt the police would take it further. In truth, I doubt they would investigate a stolen bike at all.

ohtheshameshameshame · 01/04/2017 07:06

I love these threads where the OP asks AIBU and then is absolutely livid to be told they are! Smile

cricketballs · 01/04/2017 07:10

Back to the cctv - op was told no cctv in that area, the caretaker would have seen cctv from a different area so there is no deliberate lie especially as it wasn't the caretaker who called later. Sounds like lack of communication rather than anything else

SmileEachDay · 01/04/2017 07:23

He should have locked it.

If the cctv is anything like the cctv at every school I've worked in the picture quality will be so low/one of those ridiculous rotating ones that it will be impossible to identify anyone anyway.

ohtheshameshameshame · 01/04/2017 07:43

^^ a hundred times this.

wowfudge · 01/04/2017 08:12

Trifle I am well aware the school won't let the OP see the CCTV footage. I was pointing out there is a big discrepancy in what they have been told so someone is not telling the truth. In their shoes I would rather be told the truth - i.e. it's on CCTV but we can't see who it is (if that is the case) rather than lied to.

Trifleorbust · 01/04/2017 08:15

wowfudge:

I'm sure the OP wouldn't mind looking at the CCTV if given the opportunity

That seems to suggest they should let her to me. I was just pointing out that they can't.

Yes, there is a contradiction which she is entitled to ask about.

wowfudge · 01/04/2017 08:15

cricketballs - how can you possibly know that is what has happened here?

NotYoda · 01/04/2017 08:22

"Last night I get a call from the school pastoral manager who said there was no CCTV in the area and as DS had not secured his bike there was nothing they could do! I then repeated what DH had been told which the lady knew nothing about and she said she would speak to the caretaker"

I think the school is probably a bit busy. Maybe give them a bit of time. Sorry to say, but I don't think this is probably top ten on the list of things the pastoral manager has to deal with.

Your suspicions about 'golden pupils and delinquents' sound a bit OTT to me. Call the police if you want.