to call police about this cleaner

[porcamiseria]

My dear Mum has lost: her enagement ring, my grans enagement ring and some gold coins from her bedside drawer AND a valuable watch has been taken from a bowl. Its not so much the ££££, but alot of the stuff is very sentimental.She is very organised and I beleive her when she say she has not lost it.
They have not been burgled, and for me the glaring suspect is their cleaner. My Dad thinks I am being too harsh. However who else can it be? And I think the fact that this cleaner never sees or hardly knows my my Mum (my Mum works) is also a factor.

AIBU to suspect this cleaner? Is there any way to get this stuff back? (probably not)

I am fuming and think they needs to sack cleaner and change the locks

wise opinions appreciated

How long have they had the cleaner? How often does she come? is the money to pay her just left out or handed over? Are your parents there when she cleans or does she have a key?
It is possible if she does have a key that someone borrowed it from her and did the deed. I don't think you can go to the police without any evidence.

Inform the police. They can set a trap to find out if the cleaner is doing it.
It might not get stuff back, but might make your mum feel better

I would inform the police and ask for their advice, explain that you would like the goods returned and if she's not caught you'll not get them.

Bloody hell, that's awful. Is the cleaner the only person who has the opportunity to look in the places where they were kept? It does look suspicious, I'm afraid. Not sure whether it's better to call the police rather than confront her yourselves, possibly while someone else is with your Mum.

Oh, and get the keys back before you do anything, so she can't take any revenge. Or change the locks if you don't want her to realise something's up.

Contact your local police station. The police were lovely and helpful when I phoned about my cleaner taking DD's Christening gifts. I had phoned really because a friend had suggested claiming on my insurance and I needed a crime number. I thought the police would think it a minor matter and not be interested but they were really fab and stressed that they need to have these crimes reported. Even if they don't arrest the person, they have the details on file and so can see if somebody attracts a disproportionate number of accusations.

Hi porca - a friend had this with a diamond necklace that went missing. She called the cleaner and said if it wasn't returned, then she'd be calling the police the next day.

The necklace was returned that night... Shoved through the letterbox in drive-by style. But - she noticed as soon as it was gone and did something about it that night. How long has the stuff been missing?

Thanks, its been a week now. all advice noted and have told her what you all said! clearly there alot of light fingered cleaners. The BITCH!!!! I just want the stuff back!!!

Did the cleaner admit it then?

No, but they have told her that stuff has gone missing and that as a courtesy they need to tell her as police will be involved

It seems odd that someone who is the 'only' suspect would do this, unless she thinks your mum wouldn't notice. Could someone else have done it, thinking the cleaner would get the blame?

porca - seems reasonable.

Its awful when people who are trusted to come into your house do things like this.
When my Grandad was dying he would have nurses from a well known Cancer Charity come and sit with him in his room. It wasnt until after he had died did we notice that alot of my Grandmothers jewellry had been stolen from literally right under a dyign mans nose.
The best thing to do is phone police with your suspisions, they cant do anything without evidence but at least they will have it down and reported.

Agree that if the cleaner would be the only suspect that you think no-one in their right mind whould be so stupid. But some people are. I think it was right to go to the police and right of your parents to inform her they were doing so.

It is a lot of items to go missing in one house if the cleaner is the only one who would present as the only 'suspect'.

Some cleaners may get more daring if the employer is an old person ...

I acquired a safe once I started employing cleaners/aupairs and put my valuables in there. As a test of veracity, I put a piece of costume jewellery in a jewellery box in my bedside table drawer.

I would not be able to prove a thing, but I would get advance warning of when it might be necessary to move someone on.

TBH,she must be a fücking thick cleaner!

She must realise that suspicion would fall on her first!

My 91 year old neighbour had some jewellery and money stolen from her by her cleaner.One item taken was a necklace which her only son had given to her for xmas 45 yrs ago ,just before he died of a brain tumour at 14 years old.
I rang up a friend of my neighbour who the woman had also cleaned for and she said she thought she had stolen from her too, but she didn't like to tell my neighbour because she didn't want to worry her !

However there have been a spate of burglaries round here lately where the thief has been in and out of the house while the occupants watch TV .So it might be something like that ?

How horrible. We had to involve the police at work once because things went missing. They 'planted' some money with some sort of invisible coating, waited until it had been stolen and then locked all the doors whilst they shined IV light (or whatever they used) on the cleaners and identified the culprit.

OT but I felt dreadful as it turned out not to be the surly grumpy cleaner we suspected but a lovely lovely little guy who smiled the entire time (whilst pocketing our personal possessions).

There are some very dumb cleaners out there. Happened to a friend of mine who uses an agency and has three in her (mansion!) at a time. The culprit even got their driver to drop her by a pawn/cash transfers shop on the way home! Police were called in and it turned out the culprit was not even from the country she said that she was from and in fact was working illegally. So, dumb as they come, but it certainly happens.

Oh and hilariously, before the culprit's colleagues mentioned where she had been dropped off the agency's initial reaction was 'Can't possibly be any of them - they clean for [well known celebrity]!'

Before you all go vilifying this cleaner, has anyone considered that someone from her circle of friends or family could have access to the key. I agree that it is suspicious, but as far as I can workout, she hasn't confessed. yet.

I WOULD CALL THE POLICE FOR ADVICE tbh.
If you think it is bad a trusted cleaner stealing from you you would love my in laws, SIL and her kids would steal the fillings from your teeth and had a bloody good rummage through my jewelery box when they stayed with DH, took the stuff I wore for my wedding that my nana had given me, worth little in £££ but can not be replaced.
Still they are so thick that they left the bracelet I have that is worth over £1000.

Carers who help the elderly out do this as well!

mud, what is a 'lovely lovely little guy' doing in your house?

I said it was at work. The only lovely lovely guy (not so little) in our house is DH and he's a chocolate teapot when it comes to cleaning!