Have you ever been a victim of theft?

[billybones]

I work for a major company and recently somebody has decided it`s a good idea to simply steal some stock. Because it`s a big company we can still get by but that`s not really the point. Even if we manage to catch them in the act sometimes all the courts do is simply let them off.
I guess I shouldn`t but because I take pride in my work I take the theft personally.

What or how would you react if someone was stealing from you or your company?

I think the only thing I`ld be happy for someone to steal from me is my heart.

 

[Contrarian]

If it's company stock, I couldn't give a fat rat's clacker - my present company treats its employees like shit. If it was a company I liked and cared about 'cos it rewarded and respected its employees, I'd be annoyed enough to do what I can.

A friend of mine works in a large retail environment - I gather that one has be careful about even making accusations. All you can REALLY do, so they've been instructed is let the person walk off - and take down their car licence plate number. She did that recently and they'd stolen the licence plate from somewhere else. I asked a policeman about it once and he said that even if someone walks away with a product - you've got to prove INTENT to steal (this was 4 years ago and things might have changed since then).

But what would you do - become a vigilante and seek justice of the streets? That'll make you as bad as the bikies and other lawless lowlife.

In 1997, I'd come back to WA after working away in Darwin. I didn't realize how BAD the burglary rate had become and foolishly rented a unit in Vic Park. I got burgled 11 times. Once I went to see a movie at night, came back at 10 pm and found the place burgled and called the cops - and was told they'd be at my place at 2a.m.! The policeman told me that they'd incidents and burglaries all night and that was the earliest they could get there.

I was FUCKING LIVID. And didn't sleep well at all. The landlord refused to put in a burglar alarm. One night, I was so pissed off I took a truncheon and walked the streets of Vic Park looking for suspicious activity. There was nothing and as I walked home, I came across a lady in distress and it turned out she'd tried to overdose herself so I rang up the cops and a homeless shelter for her.

But man, you NEVER sleep well after you're burgled. Incidentally, just before I moved out - The Weekend Australian published a huge feature article about breakins in Australia. Vic Park of all places had the nation's highest burglary rate - even higher than suburbs in drug-filled Sydney!

It's worse still now because many retailers tell their employees not to argue with any thieves or burglars - let them take the cash so you get left alive. And let the insurance do the rest. So thieves are encouraged by this.

As long as someone can be proven guilty, I sometimes (not very often mind you) think they should do what's done in Arab countries. If you're a thief, you get your hand chopped off. The crime rates there are very low.

 

[HappyPirate]

Ahoy, large company reduce their theft rate by installing spy cameras, more and more companies are doing it and this includes construction sites and when they come across a thief they are sacked and reported to the police. Cameras are everywhere now in most small business, if nothing else the insurance companies will not pay up;- unless a camera is running in their small business.
Arrrrrrr big brother is here and is growing, beware.

 

[Dallas]

That's awful about your burglary Contrarian, don't think I'd be sleeping well either.

I work in IT for a council and the biggest theft that I see is what I call "theft by stupidity". It's people in positions of responsibility making at best - uninformed purchasing decisions but more often just being lazy and wasting literally tens of thousands of dollars of rate payers money because they don't have a proper project plan and instead just make it up as they go along - only to have the Accountant say, "well we're over budget this year, we'll have to put up the water rates to cover the shortfall".

 

[svengali]

I will agree with Contrarian about burglary. It is quite traumatic to have your personal space invaded and your stuff picked over by thieves.
It is usually a crime of opportunity committeed by lowlife too lazy or stupid to work to support themselves and, all too often, it involves children who should be in school but roam the streets because their equally useless parents are too wiped out on drugs or grog to give them anything like a decent upbringing.

Stealing from an employer, however is another matter. I guess we have all at some stage or another made off with a pen or notepad from work but systematically stealing for financial gain is wrong, wrong, wrong and, deservedly, "stealing as a servant" is taken very seriously by the police and involves some serious jail time if a conviction is gained.

I can understand Contrarian's first sentence - it is a natural feeling but it, too, is all wrong. You see, stealing is wrong and thieves deserve punishment no matter what you may feel about the company being ripped off. I once bought a few lengths of specially profiled timber from a large timber firm (un-named). When I collected it the sales guy wrote the till ticket and, instead of writing X metres @ $x per metre simply wrote the per metre price which would have given me a huge discount I could have really used. The Company was big, big, big, and would not have noticed the loss but that was not an issue.

I had him correct the docket because this is down to me and has nothing to do with the size of the company or my feelings for it. The question is am I a thief or not? and I decided NO.

 

[colzilla]

Had my house trashed and ransacked a few years back. Nothing really worth pinching at my place. But they did steal my porn filled lap top and some jewellery. They smashed the sliding door windows and made a mess... I felt totally violated and I wanted to F'n kill someone.

The Police came around and dusted for finger prints but did SFA.

I installed an alarm system that had a mind of its own. Set itself off if it got a bit hot in one of the rooms.

 

[Holford]

Wouldn't be to many people that haven't been robbed, had young kids walkin and just grab wallet while being there. Was not easy to get in but just brazen. Been bashed and robbed in Sydney, their response is to just pay victims rather than catch or prevent crime. Being a victim is for life and damages your future.

It would appear that authorities just accept thieving as normal and do nothing, society rewards and makes heros out of them, it's all ass about. I grew up in a time when you could leave everything open because everyone had respect and if you did wrong you get consequences. Now the law protects and goes out of its way to ensure the perpetrator is protected.

Since authorities have become a revenue raising body of the govt law and order has diminished. Since we have a ME mentality the respect for others is gone, so the thieving will continue. Ethical respects starts from the top where it is clear they are thieving from people.

 

[colzilla]

Well said Mr Holford.

The shit stains at the top do it on purpose I reckon.

 

[Contrarian]

But Holford, the ME mentality only works one way - for the offender. If I adopted the ME mentality and defended MY house, I'd be in such deep shit, no amount of water would be able to flush me down an S bend.

Colon Barnett's back in orifice, let's see what he does about Crime. More money for a stadium, less for coppers?

 

[Farm Boy]

Contrarian is right Never argue with thieves or burglars in fact no need to converse at all.

 

[colzilla]

MrB is that the end of a shotgun or two bits of pipe welded together?

 

[Farm Boy]

A meter of pipe also works.

 

[Perth boy]

In my work place steeling is a big no no. If someone is caught the police are call and the person charged. We caught an apprentice doing a private cashy job in our workshop in our time. We charged him with steeling company product and were trying to charge him with steeling company time but that didn't stick.

My son works in a supermarket and most days someone is caught steeling. Things are expensive these days and meat is a hot item.

I don't steel and I hate steeling.

 

[Contrarian]

If a person is absolutely poverty stricken or homeless I can understand, I may have difficulty accepting it but I can understand and sympathize.

But a lot of these thieves earn money, are addicts who don't seek rehab or schoolkids who need a slap around their ears.

 

[homer]

Company resources often grow legs of its own and walk away without people noticing them, it's a strange phenomena. One can only report to police if it's item of value such as laptop, etc...

Many moons ago, i was dumbfounded by the burglary at my place. I had alarm fitted, which would call my mobile if it goes off. So one dandy night, I went out and few hours later got home, noticed something not too right. I thought I saw someone looking out from the blind of my living room, no i didnt see a pussy cat. Ok I didnt quite see that person but the blind moved, as if someone had just looked through it and left in a hurry.

When I got into the house, it was in a mess, like a hurricane went through it. I think I walked in, in the middle of their mission. They had severed all cables connecting to my dandy alarm and obliterated the life out of it. Then they broke a corner the rear window and let themselves in. They must have left in a hurry, dropping couple of items along the way...

Prior the main events there were couple of small events that happened. 1. I was hearing ruffling noises in the ceiling space and thought must have been Master Splinters getting warm and cosy up there. 2. I was getting prank calls in the evenings, where they call and not talk to you, then hang up. 3. Empty drink bottle, coke cans left on the lawn different days of the week.

I called the police and reported the incident that night and they turned up at 6 am next morning, didnt do much. They came to make sure i was ok.

 

[Al Swearengen]

I have my dignity stolen from me on regular occassions. Sometimes, I even pay for the privelage.

Al

 

[colzilla]

Hot diggity. I had dignity once.

 

[Contrarian]

What's dignity?:fart:

 

[Rochelle]

Had a burglar in my house once a few years ago. Grrrrrrr took a lot of things (very annoying) but what got me most was the fact that he/she/them went through my under wear drawer and felt his/her/their way through it. Yuckkkkkkkk definitely invasion of my privacy. Never mind the loss of a computer/leader jacket/watch/........grrrrrrrr sorry have to go............booking

 

[WRXXXR]

I hate thieves. Dob em in if you know something.

I'm a gentle guy, generally see no point in violence but try and steal or ruin my property and you will get another side of me. The last bloke who stole from me (armed robbery) is currently being housed safely in canning vale... Bet he regrets that night

 

[homer]

Had a burglar in my house once a few years ago. Grrrrrrr took a lot of things (very annoying) but what got me most was the fact that he/she/them went through my under wear drawer and felt his/her/their way through it. Yuckkkkkkkk definitely invasion of my privacy. Never mind the loss of a computer/leader jacket/watch/........grrrrrrrr sorry have to go............booking

Exactly, invasion of privacy is what bugged me. Insurance will cover the lost of goods but to think that some pricks can come into your home and dig through your personal stuff is a bother. I hate that.

 

[Master Yoda]

Yes. People have stolen from me before. And it sucks everytime. When I get over the emotional responses and protests that often does nothing for me, I ponder on what I did or did not do to cause or contribute to the situation.

And sometimes I may teach myself something that prevents reoccurrences.

 

[colzilla]

MY what about when you go stealing a young womans heart?

 

[Master Yoda]

MY what about when you go stealing a young womans heart?

Colz my kind friend. Although the uttering of stealing the heart of a woman is a timeless expression, this is one treasure that cannot be taken without the woman giving it willingly lol. Well I've learned that over and over. We actually have to love them with no trickery.......


What on God's grey Earth made you think a little green prune like me is a heart collector anyway? Ha ha ha

 

[colzilla]

I mostly deal with hookers. So I don't steal anything I pay for it... Glad I pay for it otherwise I might have a guilty conscience. Buzzed one off the other day for treating me like a drip.

The real MY is probably not a green prune. Hot stud like myself most likely.

 

[Happy2]

Slightly different But I have had a few sheep stolen at times
The theft is grating .. worse is knowing the poor buggers are going to be butchered in a back yard abattoir
Hope the buyers enjoyed their cheap roast on Sunday

 

[colzilla]

Wasn't a couple of horny Kiwis was it Mr2

 

[Happy2]

No the sheep normally come back with big smiles on their faces the Col

 

[Smoggy]

I had a unit in the Western Suburbs many years ago and just as I was leaving for work I stepped out of the bedroom to be met by a guy standing inside my front door. He demanded money and food which I refused. He then started walking towards my living area and I blocked his path without getting too close. He then started shouting and swearing and threatened to bash me in my own unit. Not being a person to back down I started walking towards him and luckily he decided he wasnt up for a fight with me and he left.

I'm quite a big guy and in those days I was working out and I have been trained and competed in a couple of martial arts. I think he made the right decision as my biggest worry was not going over the top and then having to justify myself in a court of law. I think the training helped keep me calm and not loose my temper.

There is nothing worse than somebody breaking into your home. I dont think you can recover from that and moving is really the only option. When looking to purchase a house now I always consider its security in the first instance. I also have a couple of large dogs that are quite protective of their environment.

 

[colzilla]

I think he made the right decision as my biggest worry was not going over the top and then having to justify myself in a court of law.

The c@#t has to get to a court of law first... Smoggy.