dj219957

So im in my kitchen and I see some kids by the edge of my drive next to my scooby. They see me and scarper. I went down and saw that one of my metal valve caps is missing (long story but I knew they were robbin valve caps from the estate). I got mad and went out in the car after them. I caught up with them and said "if you pinch anything else of my car I will call the police" I would like to add that I did not physically threaten them at all (they are young kids - we were all kids once). As I said that one of them looks at my wheel (talk about guilty!) He went on to say his mate did it and he had ran off. I said go and get it or ill call the police. I said if they got it back I would forgive them and forget about it.
Low and behold 5 mins later the lad is outside my house so I go out and he sheepishly gives me back my cap. I shook his hand and gave him £2 and said "honesty pays mate, thankyou"
On relfection I now worry that I have overreacted and may have been a bit stupid about it all.
I worry about retaliation from their parents or worse they come back and do worse to my car.


Would others on here have done the same or have I been a bit of a kn*b? Its difficult to know what to do these days with kids as times have changed. People like me can end up worse off if we interveen. Least I got the cap back!

jods

u donut. They'll be back for all four and will expect a £10 spot next time

I had some ******* nick all 4 enamel Subaru caps - unfortunately for them we have a great neighbourhood watch - they got collared and the feds got called.

One of the lads actually soiled his pants when the cops turned up. They stuck them in the back of the van till the parents turned up.

The cop asked if I wanted them taken down to the station for questioning with their parents.

I said - "Naaaa" I think they've both had punishment enough sat in an enclosed space with the smell of pooh for about 20 mins. Sent them on their way - and I've never been bothered by them again.

wayne9t9

2 quid for a valve cap? he`s probably wondering how much he could have got for the whole wheel

NotoriousREV

So are you going to pay £2 per cap every time they bring them back?

scooby_me

iTrader: (1)

You may have taught him a lesson ealy in life, well done!

glad it worked out good for you.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

wtf overreact?!? no! they STOLE something from you. And why the **** did you pay him for returning it? They would be bloody stupid to do anything else to your car, as you know who is he is now don't you.

hux309

He paid him to teach him the value of honesty, just saying it wouldn't have had any impact.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

Value of honesty my ****. If anything he under reacted, little ******* should of been frog marched around to the parents and given a bloody good rollocking.

astraboy

No, you underreacted. You definitely shouldnt have paid them. You should have said you know his face and from now on you dont care who nicks stuff off your car, the next time it happens, you're blaming him and coming after him.

That would put the ****s up him enough to ensure it wont happen again as he'll make sure none of his friends touch your car. Also teaches him some responsibility.
astraboy.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

^ what he said

corradoboy

I caught a lad stealing mine years back. They weren't fancy ones either, just that the tyre fitting place I go to often fits valves with alloy caps. As I marched over to him he went to get his bike to make his escape, but I stepped one leg into the middle of the frame before he could lift it I proceeded to read him the riot act with him eventually bursting into tears when I kept insisting that he tell me his home number so I could call his folks, and when he refused I feigned calling Plod I told him I was going to keep his bike to show him how it feels to have your property taken from you, but stopped short of this as I didn't want to be counter-accused, and felt I'd gone far enough. He rode off blubbing and I never saw him in our street again

Jamz3k

I think you did well and i think giving him £2 for getting them back was a very nice thing to do with a good lesson behind it but no doubt the lesson will be lost if he is like the rat-like children that are now overtaking my village.

I think i posted up about my dustcaps not so long ago, my neighbout caught them and got them to refit them. I then caught them 4 times in the same day and then a few days ago one of the kids was caught by the fella who lives opposite me trying to nick them again. He is a scary ****** too and he fixes things for people so to speak, so he read the kid the riot act in a way only drunken cider drinkers can.

falkster

And follow it up by telling his dad he'll get it if anything happens to your car!!!

worley

Moment of genius giving him 2 quid; confuse the little f**cker and make him think a bit more than him and his little mates are used to.

Good on you.


Nik

dj219957

i dont think been threatening would have been the right thing to do. it can have bad concequences if parents get invloved and yove been been acussed of threatening a child. you cant threaten children but you can teach them.
an intetesting mixture of reponses. for the record ive just noticed one of the mrs valve caps is missing too so i do think i did the right thing.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

Well unless they nicked the cap off your mrs car, after your payout

will_wrx

I dont think you could have done it any better.

You had them worried by following them, they saw you were serious, enough for them to bring it back, you then shook his had and gave him a reward showing respect for coming back and doing the right thing.

The same thing has happened to me before, along those lines anyway and the people in question are ever so friendly these days. always wave and say hello, ask about my car etc.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

wtf so a crim robs an old lady n fesses up to the copshop the following day as he knows hes been caught on cctv and he's feeling guilty You're really saying the police should then pay him for being honest??? Ok exaggarated example but the samething in essence. What aload of bullcrap.

what would scooby do

You should have gone all Ian Huntley on them..

LC Geezer

I think you did just the right thing. Gave 'em a chance and they put it right. If they were genuine nasty *******, they'd have told you to **** off or pulled a knife on you. Because they didn't, I reckon they were Ok lads who just went a bit far (hell, I did far worse and I turned out OK). Gave them a scare and put them back onm track.

yoza

I too have had dustcaps robbed by the local BMX brigade, its not a bit deal, but its the thought that someone has been messing around my cars whilst they are on my drive.

I dont get mad.............I just get even.

I quite often take dustcaps off BMX bikes parked outside our local newspaper shop, all the same crew.

If I go early on a Sunday morning for my paper there are lots of bikes heaped outside the shop while the owners collect/sort the papers/magazines for delivery.

Ive got loads of them mostly in pairs, but some pairs have matched up so Ive got the full set....my best set are red bullets, followed closely by a chrome dice set (really well machined with 'O' rings at the end of the threads), Ive got the normal ones too, the chrome ones with Alfa, Subaru, Peugeot enamel emblems on the end, and a set of wierd ones that make the valve longer by 3cms.

I only use plain black ones on my cars now, they dont want them.

An eye for an eye.

r32

Well done, I think you responded well. But use locking ones or black plastic, the plastic ones work just as well......

yoza

Remember to smear a bit of vasoline on your valve threads if using any alloy dustcap, or even the local BMX boys wont get them off, they tend to corrode and weld themselves to the valve threads.

Hysteria1983

Not an over reaction at all.
I keep getting my prodrive center caps robbed off the scoob! It's a bloody nightmare as I am sure you are all aware they are not cheap to come by.
We put a new one one only a few months ago.
We had a club member give us a couple of them (one needs tome maintenance) and we bought him a pint in return.
Only for one of those ones to have been robbed to.
The only thing you did wrong was to give the begger £2.00 for bringing back something he stole from you!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I think that was a good reaction, had you threatened them, hurt them or whatever then apart from possibly getting in trouble yourself you would have been a marked man.

Now those kids see you as a nice bloke, that 2 quid means he feels beholding to you, you let him off and gave him 2 quid for his honesty, hopefully feeling a little sheepish now but with a couple of quid for sweeties, he may even disuade other kids from giving you agro or nicking bits of your motor.

It may just make him think next time.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

I wouldn't have given him a financial reward that's for sure, but you did well to treat him like a man for fessing up and making amends.

If you just punish kids for minor misdemeanors, the bigger lesson is often lost to resentment and behavior can escalate out of spite. You also need to re-enforce appropriate behavior, but using the appropriate social response (i.e. a hand of friendship). The lesson is then: respect me and my property, get respect back, abuse me/my property, end up on the wrong side of me ( a potential friendly face with a nice car) your parents and the law.

The problem with financial reward is that it's not how good conduct is rewarded in the real world and it may promote more wrong doing i.e. do wrong, apologise, get financially rewarded.

Kudos to you for not just going off on one though!

finalzero

show kindness and you receive kindness... only in movies.

These little shts are evil so you have to watch your back but you did well, personally I would have taken out my paintball gun and shot them over and over until they screamed for me to stop.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Agreed, you do have to punish inappropriate behavior, but you also need to promote and model the right kind of behavior, or you just create risk angry, ignorant youths of the future

Carrot and stick, old boy!

If that fails, then use the paintgun, but put ball bearings in there: they hurt much more!

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

You watch, that kid will turn up tomorrow with bag of 50 that hes nicked from all the local cars and expect a ton off you.

Wish

iTrader: (2)

He then took the £2 and purchased his first wrap of heroin. He will now become an addict and cost the tax payers thousands over the coming years .....


You Bastid