Police cleaner sacked... for dipping into jar of coffee

a mother wrote:

i find this highly amusing ... (ok not amusing but stupid) Maybe we dont know the whole story BUT I find this absolutely idiotic... last year whilst i had a (someone i knew) tenant in my home (whilst i was back and from abroad over a few months) he took it upon himself to lock me out, break into my locked bedroom and attic, steal all my valuables, sell loads etc whilst i had to take him to court to remove him from my home... and when he was supposed to be evicted produced FORGED paperwork and was allowed to stay in my home for a further few months (which is when he stole everything)
eventually we went to court for non payment of rent (the other was meant to be a seperate issue for which i was hoping the police wuld do something BUT)
i find the police were protecting him as he is a police informant (they of course wont admit it) and to my dismay they (the police) say that there was no contract to say he couldnt take my property and sell it so that was it... not only did he owe me over 5K , he also stole thousands of pounds of valuables, destroyed thousands of pounds of precious unreplaceable property including that of my deceaced daughter (who he grew up with)YET HES GOT AWAY WITH IT :(

15 Feb 2012 10:36 PM

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wishfulthinking wrote:

Clearly you don't have the full story. Clearly this story is in the press at the behest of the person that has admitted to stealing from people in a police station. Hello! He has an agenda and you all look like mugs for jumping because he's upset at not now being able to get a job with a caution for dishonesty. A caution can only be given if someone admits an offence. There is sensitive information in police station let alone sensitive case files, sensitive information and valuable equipment. In order to protect the public and to prevent and detect crime everyone through to the cleaner has to be trusted.

13 Feb 2012 7:52 PM

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lionel wrote:

I also have the impression that, perhaps we don't know the full story.

13 Feb 2012 8:18 AM

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Steve H wrote:

That's another serious crime solved!!! Of course we do not know the full facts but when property gets burgled there is not enough police to do much more than give you a crime number. Many shops do not report blantant shoplifting as it is "not worth the effort", this case goes some way to proving why.

12 Feb 2012 3:44 PM

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DrD wrote:

@ExOldBill I reported it for the reasons you sipulate, but having expressed my lack of interest in reporting the offence I would've expected perhaps Kent Police refine their resources and not send 2 officers round twice to someone who was indifferent to them being sent, instead choosing to prioritise the elderly, more needy, or perhaps those who'd been a victim of more violent crimes.

It just strikes me as a little odd that I should receive the attention of 4 officers at a time of huge cuts, reductions in staffing numbers, increasing numbers of PCSO's and general money troubles for Kent Police.

I wondered if perhaps the more comfy, dead end jobs were the choice of the day which then enabled the officers to clock off on time!

11 Feb 2012 8:10 AM

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Bob Down wrote:

I cant believe that a man of mr Mendes age wears those ridiculous earrings !

11 Feb 2012 7:52 AM

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Ex Old Bill wrote:

@DrD It not just your car the police have to think of the idiot who damaged your car may have damaged 20/30 other cars or may be wanted for other offences.
If you were 'not bothered' why did you phone the police. The more people who inform the police of criminally in their area the more likely the police will catch those responsible.

10 Feb 2012 9:11 PM

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DrD wrote:

It would seem that the members of Kent police may have too much time on their hands with too little do; having just reported my car being broken in to I was astonished to receive 2 uniforms knocking on my door within the hour.

Then a phone call the following day.


Then another visit the day after!

I wouldn't mind, but perhaps more time spent out of my house might go some length to actually detering these petty criminals from costing me £100 to keep their boredom at bay!

And before anyone pipes up with "you'd be annoyed if they didn't show up", no I wouldn't since I'd explained to the woman on the phone when reporting that I was not bothered and it was, unfortunately, something which we just have to accept as inevtiable nowadays. And in any case, it's not like they'd catch the guy. And even if they did, he's not exactly going to pay for the repair and compensate me, my wife and my son for the distress and aggravation he caused, is he!? That sounds far too much like, oh gosh, what's that word....justice. No, that'd never happen!

10 Feb 2012 7:27 PM

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RIL3Y wrote:

well, now i've finally stopped laughing....
no wonder I cant get anyone interested in the attempted break in of my car......of course the coffee has been taken!! heaven forbid somebody might have to pop over the co-op to pick up some more!! ridiculous!

10 Feb 2012 6:46 PM

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che wrote:

The half a dozen police officers i know first hand and have met and dealt with in the last two years, who get to sleep on the job, play hide and seek in their cars with other police cars, bundle through their hotel door less than a few hours before pursuing a murder suspect... and get paid handsomely for doing so have never made me think of their job as overworked... but more overplayed and overpaid.

Gone are the days of the well respected Bobby on the beat, who's authority would be feared and respected on an equal par.
Unfortunately the force (or lack of) attracts a different kind of person these days. It's deemed as a last resort easy access route to a good wage for the numpties who struggle to get or keep employed elsewhere, rather than the well-respected, proud, upstanding member of society who wanted to make a difference as it was once thought to be.

10 Feb 2012 6:20 PM

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r wrote:

@che and all the other legal experts....

to get a caution you need to admit the offence.

Simple.
Not all the facts are known and as usual the Kent Online readers commit on truly biased stories.

Its in the news it must be true!!!!!!!

Wise up you gullable people.

10 Feb 2012 6:13 PM

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fausttino asprilla wrote:

I strongly suspect that the police will know more about this chap than what's being revealed and have found the simplest way to discipline him in order to relieve him of his duties.

As for officers filming rioters, i think they call that EVIDENCE? something which you need in an unnecessary abundance to get someone even near a court.

That's why Op WITHERN (The met's investigation into the riots) is going to be alive and well for years to come as they scour thousands of hours of film of people rioting.

Also, it's silly comparing police here to USA. In the USA police are more brutal, ruthless and take no cr*p but, ironically, they're more respected.

UK Police could adopt their practices but the liberal UK numpties would be choking on their caviar at the very thought of it.

Instead the UK Police will continue being overworked, undervalued and hated.

10 Feb 2012 5:18 PM

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Ex Old Bill wrote:

Those who make comments on this matter raise some very valid points. I would not have left anything of value laying around inside a police station and the cleaning staff would have been the least of my worries. Theft in the workplace puts a cloud of suspicion over anyone who works there and is not nice. I agree that on the face of it this matter looks as if it could have been handled a bit differently but we don't really know all the facts to be sure.

10 Feb 2012 5:10 PM

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mrs mccann wrote:

I worked for many years as an accountant. We never had to sack a cleaner for dishonesty in any of the companies I worked with however many senior managers and directors were not exactly strangers to petty theft.
The police officers I have met have also not displayed qualities of total honesty faking stress illnesses for example to gain early retirement.
It was wrong of this chap to take the coffee but the reaction was excessive and a sign of poor judgement and management.

10 Feb 2012 4:43 PM

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che wrote:

Although i don't condone theft of any kind, i find it even harder to condone or understand the thought process (or lack of) of the police yet again.
As a general rule you're innocent until proven guilty, so the accusations of petty cash and shirt theft (Which Mr Mendes denies) would need to be proven. Therefore, this is yet another example of certain officers believing they're above the law, which in turn, makes me question their ability to uphold the integrity and honesty they demand.
Whoever made the decision to sack him seems to have done so without the correct approach or manner, which once again questions their ability of rationale. Let's face it.. the unemployment figure is already at a squeeze and costing the tax payer £billions a year, so whoever at that police station decided that adding another person to that list is more cost effective than a spoonful of coffee seriously needs reviewing.
At the far other end of the spectrum of police duties, i watched the news with millions of others as the riots were taking place in London last year, as the police stood, watched and filmed the rioters breaking into shops as owners defended themselves inside, yet the police claimed it was too dangerous to get involved?... Since when would you find a Fire Fighter stood outside a burning building filming when lives are at risk?
If they can't do the job, then cut their 27K wage packet!!.. let's face it, taking the tax payers money and not fulfilling a service is more of a theft than a spoonful of coffee.
If the USA police force have the moto of 'Protect and Serve' then surely ours is 'watch and rinse'.

10 Feb 2012 3:18 PM

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Ex Old Bill wrote:

Theft is theft regardless of what the item is we all know that however, there are many police officers and civilian staff who have convictions and still remain in their jobs. Good honest cleaners should be paid very well because they are looked upon as trustworthy workers who work without supervision and have free access to all areas of a building. Once that trust has been broken it's out the door.

10 Feb 2012 12:55 PM

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