How Do I Get To Police To Catch A Proven Thief?

[kriswillems]

Ok, here's an update and some answers.

- I am not the owner of the building. My wife's family is the owner. I know the people that live here very well and many people in the condo are scared. So, it's important that we do something.

- We contacted a much higher ranking police officer from another office and not long after that the victim was contacted by the office that didn't have time for us and tomorrow were are invited back to the same office. This time they will have time for us.

- I can talk Thai and found the thief without any help. The thief is Thai as well as the victim and all others.

- I gave money to the victim because he just came to live here and he used his last money for paying the guarantee of the rental agreement (how do you call that in English?). Most Thai people that live here have almost no money on their account and live from their last months income. This is not a high class place.

I don't care about the money and for me it's easier and safer if I leave things like they are and if the thief doesn't go to jail. But, in this case the thief will not stop stealing and others will suffer.

It's a hard decision.

Edited April 3, 2013 by kriswillems

[Neeranam]

Neeranam, so after all this time, you still aren't sure what the lesson was? Could it be that there was no lesson?

Did the head monk, have his jeans stolen? I'm thinking not because he probably wasn't wearing any clothes one would want to steal right? Were only farangs the victims?

I would agree/disagree with the "we wanted to beat him up" part, as that would be vigilante justice which is not right or legal in most cases. However, reporting the theft to the police probably would have been a good idea.

I would suggest, the the monk wasn't teaching you or anyone else, any lessons, but that he was just being typically Thai, and avoiding confrontation and problems, and since he wasn't a victim, who cares, and those farangs can afford it, so again, who cares? Thais vs. farangs, etc, make some excuse for the Thai criminal, he must have "needed the money" ...I am assuming the theft was done by a Thai, but you didn't state that.

It is very easy to start to fall into the Thai BS, that "we think to much" and start to believe that when we are on our honeymoon period in Thailand, but after some years, you start to wake up and realize that we are not thinking enough.

There's always a lesson.

I agree about Thais avoiding confrontation but Thai BS? They may be correct about karmic accounts. There's a lot more going on in Thai peoples thinking than I thought when I was on my honeymoon period here.

[klubex99]

There ought to be some form of retribution exacted upon the villain.

If you say that people are living in fear of him, then that is not right.

I suggest you get in contact with your wife's family and see if they can come up with some equally horrible people to have a word in his ear, and to keep him away from you and your tenants.

I will end by saying.... The only thing needed for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.

Just my honest opinion.

[kriswillems]

I told him he will be on national television when he comes back or something happens to me. He knows I have watertight proof. He will not come back to our place in any case. I know all the owners of the buildings around. I am more concerned about the people living in their buildings. The owners warn each other when there's something suspicious going on.

Edited April 3, 2013 by kriswillems

[Colabamumbai]

He gave uou Bht500 and you accepted?!

You now have to prove you have not accepted compensation.

Game Over..... Doh!

I want the money back. It's not a compensation. He still has to give us another 2000B.

So my Ex who threw me out owes me lots plus she stole/kept a lot of my personal belongings, teaching aids etc. What do you think the police are going to do, they will call her or your thief and ask them to come and give a statement. You lose, this is thailand and the cops well know the person you are reporting.

[kriswillems]

I agree with Neeraman that Thai people are not just ignorant. There's a a philosophy around them trying to avoid confrontations. They are not just being dumb.

My experience is however is that confronting people does help (also here) as long as you do it in a polite way, without hurting too much personal feelings.

[WildChilli]

Ok, here's an update and some answers.

- I am not the owner of the building. My wife's family is the owner. I know the people that live here very well and many people in the condo are scared. So, it's important that we do something.

- We contacted a much higher ranking police officer from another office and not long after that the victim was contacted by the office that didn't have time for us and tomorrow were are invited back to the same office. This time they will have time for us.

- I can talk Thai and found the thief without any help. The thief is Thai as well as the victim and all others.

- I gave money to the victim because he just came to live here and he used his last money for paying the guarantee of the rental agreement (how do you call that in English?). Most Thai people that live here have almost no money on their account and live from their last months income. This is not a high class place.

I don't care about the money and for me it's easier and safer if I leave things like they are and if the thief doesn't go to jail. But, in this case the thief will not stop stealing and others will suffer.

It's a hard decision.

Not a hard desision at all he did the crime he can do the time. !

He stole money spent it on going out !

Now if he had stolen food to eat I would let him go as that would be stealing to survive

I would properly even give him a chance to earn some money by giving him some work

Always something that can be done somewhere

kindness can change the life of a person in need

[rgs2001uk]

I agree with Neeraman that Thai people are not just ignorant. There's a a philosophy around them trying to avoid confrontations. They are not just being dumb.

My experience is however is that confronting people does help (also here) as long as you do it in a polite way, without hurting too much personal feelings.

My experiences with them differs from yours, they arent being dumb when avoiding confronataion, they are playing it safe, for fear of offending the wrong person and the consequences that will follow if they cause someone to lose face.

Its kinda funny watching two Thais who dont know each other go through the panto of being polite but at the same time trying to work out the pee nong status.

As for Thais dealing with these problems you have been here long enough to know, you dont invite these idiots to sit down and have a cuppa tea while you discuss the meaning of life with them and offer an alternative path.

Consult either your family or your friendly motorcycle drivers, they will solve the problem Thai style.

[Colabamumbai]

Neeranam, so after all this time, you still aren't sure what the lesson was? Could it be that there was no lesson?

Did the head monk, have his jeans stolen? I'm thinking not because he probably wasn't wearing any clothes one would want to steal right? Were only farangs the victims?

I would agree/disagree with the "we wanted to beat him up" part, as that would be vigilante justice which is not right or legal in most cases. However, reporting the theft to the police probably would have been a good idea.

I would suggest, the the monk wasn't teaching you or anyone else, any lessons, but that he was just being typically Thai, and avoiding confrontation and problems, and since he wasn't a victim, who cares, and those farangs can afford it, so again, who cares? Thais vs. farangs, etc, make some excuse for the Thai criminal, he must have "needed the money" ...I am assuming the theft was done by a Thai, but you didn't state that.

It is very easy to start to fall into the Thai BS, that "we think to much" and start to believe that when we are on our honeymoon period in Thailand, but after some years, you start to wake up and realize that we are not thinking enough.

And if the head monk did have his jeans or other possessions stolen he would have said "nothing belongs to us, we only use it"

[Ulic]

Post the story on tourism websites. No help from Thai police even when they are spoon fed the information.

Do nothing expect nothing to change.

[shawndoc]

You said the owner of the building is your Thai-wife's family, and the victim was Thai. Why are you, a non-Thai, going to police and pushing this? As far as I see it, in the eyes of the police you have two strikes against you:

- You have no standing in the matter. You were not robbed, nor is it your building this happened in. You are just a busy-body.

- You've turned what should be a Thai on Thai affair into a Thai on Farang affair. That doesn't help your case.

[mauGR1]

Very interesting thread imo...To be honest, i find most of the replies to be spot on, and funny enough, they are quite different from each other.

The story highlights the great differences between the Western way and the Asian way of thinking.

I don't know what i would do if i was a victim, but as an outsider i just woud wait for the karmic justice to get into action.

If i was a victim, i would have to consider very carefully the pros and cons of being involved with Police

[ThailandNoob]

Did you actually take the 500 baht? If so then, you really shouldn't have because accepting compensation now means that the matter is dead and buried (as multiple other people have said).

Him offering you such a small amount is ridiculous and he knows it. Payments to settle a case of theft in Thailand are usually multiple times the value of whatever was stolen.

If you haven't accepted the money, then just offer the police a "reward" to arrest him. All or a substantial part of the money he stole would be sufficient, since they'll also extort money from him directly once they arrest him.

I wouldn't be worried about any repercussions from doing this. I highly doubt the other Thais living in the area are going to have much sympathy for a thief living among them. And the types of Thais that have connections do not tend to spend their time breaking into apartments to engage in petty theft. That is the kind of thing that yaba addicts (the lowest of the low in Thailand) get up to.

[isanbirder]

B. 2000 is just peanuts, and you cooked your goose by accepting B.500 as some sort of compensation.

Many years ago, I was robbed by somebody I knew (and had photos of), who came into our house and stole B.80,000 worth of gold and jewellery (stupid to have so much, I agree, but that doesn't affect the story).

We made a list of the stolen items with prices against each, and told the police we would give 10% of anything they recovered. They recovered about B.50,000 worth, which cost us B.5,000. They also arrested the thief.

Totally unethical, I know.... but you tell me a way to get a better outcome!

[mrtoad]

I'm with Rgs on this one, and it shouldn't be too much a problem, considering your wife's family are the owners fo the condo builiding, I would imagine they have the connections to deal with this in an "appropriate way". Don't know why you are getting so involved?

[DLock]

What do your wife's family think about this? Are they leading the case or supporting you, or just watching from a distance?

Whilst I applaud anyone standing up to Thai's in situations like this, I am surprised that you are going to so much trouble for 2500 baht when you were not the victim or the building owner.

I know it's the principle of the matter, but my time is worth more than 2500. But I wish you luck.

[Colabamumbai]

The police will only act if there is something in it for them. In this case there isn't, unless you are prepared to give them money. It's not nice to be stolen from, I know, but it causes me more harm to hold on to a resentment - kinda like me taking poison and expecting the thief to die.

Once, I was staying in a famous monk's temple with about 100 other foreigners. People were getting jeans and other clothing nicked from the communal washing line. After a few night, there was a huge commotion as the thief had been caught. Myself, my mate, and an English policeman wanted to jump on the guy, beat him up and take him to the police station. A couple of monks seemed pretty upset too. The head (highly respected) monk came and said to let him go. We we all there learning about Buddhism, compassion, loving kindness etc. There's a moral to this story, not exactly sure what it is, but worth thinking about. Every challenge in life enables me to learn more and improve myself.

I say let him go.

The moral of the story is this: We come into the world without anything, we leave without anything, all things in between are temporary, like our life, they are to be used and enjoyed by us, but with mindfulness and no attachment to anything. I work for a well know Monk in Kalasin/Sahatsakhan. This was his reply to "Why would she steal and keep small things that have no use for her?"

[Neeranam]

B. 2000 is just peanuts, and you cooked your goose by accepting B.500 as some sort of compensation.

Many years ago, I was robbed by somebody I knew (and had photos of), who came into our house and stole B.80,000 worth of gold and jewellery (stupid to have so much, I agree, but that doesn't affect the story).

We made a list of the stolen items with prices against each, and told the police we would give 10% of anything they recovered. They recovered about B.50,000 worth, which cost us B.5,000. They also arrested the thief.

Totally unethical, I know.... but you tell me a way to get a better outcome!

Why is it unethical? I'd say this conforms to the generally accepted ways of doing things here, which would make it ethical. Perhaps you mean 'totally unethical in another country'.

[isanbirder]

B. 2000 is just peanuts, and you cooked your goose by accepting B.500 as some sort of compensation.

Many years ago, I was robbed by somebody I knew (and had photos of), who came into our house and stole B.80,000 worth of gold and jewellery (stupid to have so much, I agree, but that doesn't affect the story).

We made a list of the stolen items with prices against each, and told the police we would give 10% of anything they recovered. They recovered about B.50,000 worth, which cost us B.5,000. They also arrested the thief.

Totally unethical, I know.... but you tell me a way to get a better outcome!

Why is it unethical? I'd say this conforms to the generally accepted ways of doing things here, which would make it ethical. Perhaps you mean 'totally unethical in another country'.

Unethical by my standards, Neeranam.

[kriswillems]

Here's the answer to the question why I do this:

My thai familie is like my family and I love than just as much as my own family. So when they are in trouble, I help them. They also helped me a lot before. Partly thanks to them I have a very good life here. They are not that young anymore and it's difficult for them to go to run around looking for a thief. They contacted the higher ranking officer, so I guess they are supporting me. It's not just about the 2500B. The owners of the other buildings are friends, we help each other (in the other building the thief came 3 times and stole 2 notebooks, money and credit cards).

Edited April 4, 2013 by kriswillems

[geriatrickid]

He gave uou Bht500 and you accepted?!

You now have to prove you have not accepted compensation.

Game Over..... Doh!

I want the money back. It's not a compensation. He still has to give us another 2000B.

So my Ex who threw me out owes me lots plus she stole/kept a lot of my personal belongings, teaching aids etc. What do you think the police are going to do, they will call her or your thief and ask them to come and give a statement. You lose, this is thailand and the cops well know the person you are reporting.

hello? Your case is in no way similar. Your case involved a dispute with your former ladyboy lover. Unless the ladyboy was quite the athlete, I do not think a transgender qualifies as overly intimidating for most people. You made unsubstantiated allegations about your ex. It was a domestic dispute.

In this case we have a burly male intimidating residents and who's criminal activity was documented.

IMHO the OP has done the right thing and his actions are supported by community groups involved in dealing with residential crime in Thailand. If one looks at the info, victims are told to complain to the police and if not satisfied, to push the matter. The OP is being a responsible landlord and has more ethics and compassion for the working class folk being victimized than all the people telling him to run away.

The OP gets my respect for sticking up for the little guy and for taking care of his tenants. He is what is called a good landlord. Bravery, decency, integrity and principle must be a hard concept for some to understand.

[kriswillems]

update:

I went to the police station.

It was rather difficult to make the police feel like they were not loosing face.

We made a report. I was the witness. The victim was also there.

Tomorrow they'll catch him and put him in jail.

Chances are small that he will stay long in jail (probably somewhere between 3 month and 1.5 (=5/2 -1) year), because:

- he stole only 2500B.

- his mother has a handicap.

I am a bit worried about that but I think I did the right thing.

Edited April 4, 2013 by kriswillems

[homeownership]

Like others have said, he offered you money and you accepted it.

If it was not enough then you should have not taken it.

You will never see this guy again round your property as you have marked his card.

Escalating the matter any further would in my opinion be a mistake, he could feel you are extorting him for more money. Some Thai people would also agree with him and very quickly you could turn from victim to the villain and then the police may become more proactive, but against you.

Chalk it down to experience, improve security and let the matter drop.

[Travel2003]

update:

I went to the police station.

It was rather difficult to make the police feel like they were not loosing face.

We made a report. I was the witness. The victim was also there.

Tomorrow they'll catch him and put him in jail.

Chances are small that he will stay long in jail (probably somewhere between 3 month and 1.5 (=5/2 -1) year), because:

- he stole only 2500B.

- his mother has a handicap.

I am a bit worried about that but I think I did the right thing.

Tomorrow they'll catch him and put him in jail??

You convinced the police to put him in jail?

And the jury and judge is?

You?

Edited April 5, 2013 by Travel2003

[klubex99]

update:

I went to the police station.

It was rather difficult to make the police feel like they were not loosing face.

We made a report. I was the witness. The victim was also there.

Tomorrow they'll catch him and put him in jail.

Chances are small that he will stay long in jail (probably somewhere between 3 month and 1.5 (=5/2 -1) year), because:

- he stole only 2500B.

- his mother has a handicap.

I am a bit worried about that but I think I did the right thing.

Tomorrow they'll catch him and put him in jail??

You convinced the police to put him in jail?

And the jury and judge is?

You?

My wife says that if he has already admitted doing the crime, then he can be put straight in prison by the police. He gets the chance to have a day in court, but the court will give him a bigger sentence usually. If the police puts you in, it is usually a lesser sentence. Most will accept the police sentence.

[taotoo]

Hope handling stolen money isn't a crime in Thailand.

[kriswillems]

If they catch him it's up to the victim to decide if he wants to drop charges.

(My personal opinion is that it would be better to drop charges if the thief pays the victim back and returns the notebooks he stole in the other building. This would the perfect solution and everyone would feel happy.)

I have done my duty and will not do anything anymore.

I am not sure they are really going to catch him, like they said. I don't care anymore.

I have done everything possible to report this case to the police, with as many details as possible.

If the police would have written down the name of the thief before I went to see him things would be much easier.

But they said they had no time and it didn't look like they would ever have time.

Only when we contacted a higher level boss they were willing to write down the name and address of the thief.

The thief came to the buildings every day and entered in the room of people sleeping there (sometimes single women). One of the women woke up and started throwing knives at him (how stupid can you be?).Terrible things could happen. It would not be correct not to stop him.

Edited April 5, 2013 by kriswillems

[WildChilli]

update:

I went to the police station.

It was rather difficult to make the police feel like they were not loosing face.

We made a report. I was the witness. The victim was also there.

Tomorrow they'll catch him and put him in jail.

Chances are small that he will stay long in jail (probably somewhere between 3 month and 1.5 (=5/2 -1) year), because:

- he stole only 2500B.

- his mother has a handicap.

I am a bit worried about that but I think I did the right thing.

Tomorrow they'll catch him and put him in jail??

You convinced the police to put him in jail?

And the jury and judge is?

You?

As the op have clear video footage of the perp entering the property he have admitted to the crime of stealing

oh why do I bother replying to a troll post like this

As someone found out a couple of weeks ago

MY LAND MY LAW

I catch anyone within my fence line

I Am The Law ,Judge , jury , and executioner

He nearly died in my hands but I would do the same next time

If we can't feel safe on our own property's anymore we the people must act to protect ourselves

[FritsSikkink]

The thief came to the buildings every day and entered in the room of people sleeping there (sometimes single women). One of the women woke up and started throwing knives at him (how stupid can you be?).Terrible things could happen. It would not be correct not to stop him.

Maybe time for some better locks.

[kriswillems]

The thief came to the buildings every day and entered in the room of people sleeping there (sometimes single women). One of the women woke up and started throwing knives at him (how stupid can you be?).Terrible things could happen. It would not be correct not to stop him.

Maybe time for some better locks.

The thief is an athlete when it comes to climbing. In our building he walked on 2 cm wide iron bar 20 metres above the ground level and entered the room via the window of the room. At another place he walked on a 10 cm wide ridge on the the wall at about 12 metres hight and he walked over a distance of maybe 10 meters. At this building he entered the room via the terrace. People will not closed the door of the terrace when they are sleeping because it's hot. He never opened any lock. The way of breaking into all the buildings is very, very similar. It's clear the same person was at work here.

He entered the buildings every day, and it stopped happening the day I went to talk to him.

Edited April 6, 2013 by kriswillems