.thief

[henry1938]

i got 2 grandsons calling at weekends
one of them is pinching some cash
is their any small came.ra i can get to try to catch him
ages 10 and 13
i would like to put them on the right path
thanks

[VHG]

Why not just leave some small coins on a ledge somewhere and send one child into the room to get something. If the money is gone then you know it is them.

Don't tell them off yourself, just tell the parents.

Be careful about telling the parents and they may not take too kindly to being told their child is a thief.

[Maydup]

They are only 10 and 13, and they are your family, perhaps you can have a firm but comforting word with them.

Tell them that you know one of them has stolen your money and that they must never, ever do that again, either at your house or anywhere else. Talk it through with them, see if they will admit to it and explain to you why they needed the money. You can deal with it by building trust unlike fillming them which will break down any trust.

Tell them that as long as they stop and never do anything like it again, you won't tell their parents.

[grasscarp]

Pinching cash from where? I would be more inclined to not leave money around than attempt to set up a camera to catch them.

[sherrardk]

At 10 and 13 I would be worried about why they are stealing money - why do they need it?

[DaisyNonna]

Are you leaving cash lying around the house?
If so, why?
Where else could they find it?

[Ringlet]

It seems strange to me that a couple of answers to this question seem to blame henry the grandparent for having cash in his own house. If you cannot find somewhere in your own house to put a bit of cash, without a member of the family stealing it, then your house is not your own. These two grandsons need to be spoken to quite firmly, and a threat made to tell their parents. This may or may not cause them some worry. Some kids couldn't care less if their parents are involved or not, while for others it would be the last thing they would want. Because they are your grandchildren, with easy access to your house, it is maybe a bit over the top to set up a camera, it should be possible to catch them out just by being observant. At the age they are, they probably don't appreciate the seriousness of what they are doing. They would probably be less likely to do it if it was anyone else other than their own grandpa. Maybe they see it as "not really stealing" because it is their grandpa. They do need to have it pointed out that this IS stealing, it is serious, and it must stop at once.

[alavahalf]

Cheaper than a camera .. http://www.amazon.com/Visible-Stain-Theft-Detection-Powder/dp/B009DMKYIY ..

Personally I'd separate them and ask them if there is anything they need to tell you and is there something that they would need money for ? ... one of them will be sheepish, I'm sure.

You wouldn't want to hang the wrong one !

[Svejk]

Could it not be a joint enterprise? I think it's fairly common amongst small children, isn't it. Although if the 13 year old is involved, he should definitely know better.

[mikey4444]

I think Maydup has it right here....they are only little boys, but they obviously need to be put right.

[Baldric]

They have both reached the Age of Criminal Responsibility in The UK!

[Peter Pedant]

very sorry to hear of your trouble henry1938

lots of advice - including the doting parents may not be best pleased to hear their dearest offspring are helping themselves

This happened to me twice - first you have to stop leaving money around.
Presumably you have done a honey trap experiment - leaving a £20, £10 and £5 in a beer mug and oops finding only a £20 and a £10 after they have left

and the second time where a sister did a runner at her brother's wedding ( !!) and I picked up her hotel bill. The grande mere of the fambly never forgave me for saying " oi I have been robbed ! - by that little scrubber " and not just paying and keeping quiet about it

if you goggle
little cctv camera
you will get lots of choice

the running sister ? oh she has disappeared from view .....