Hi

I have just had a call from the police to say that my son (15) stole a bottle of vodka from Sainsbury's at the beginning of March.

He was seen on CCTV.

We have been asked to go to the Police station on Wed so they can talk to him.

What will happen?

probably not a lot

get him to admit [if he did it] and it will just be a warning/talking too, nothing much gets recorded if he accepts the warning/caution

Hi

Forgive me for making assumptions. If the police got his identity from CCTV, it is likely he has had dealings with them before and if so, they may take it more seriously.

On another front, If he got stopped by security at Sainsbugs they may have passed his details on to the police although this would be unusual as they usually pass on details to a civil recovery company.

As it seems the police have him bang to rights, admit his offence and see what they do. A caution or a fixed penalty is most likely. The more important thing is for him to stop stealing and find out what issues he has that created this act.

depending what he did before, its just a bottle of vodka now. If it wasnt serious before, then he would just get a caution. IF he only stole very small amounts before, it will still be a caution as it wouldnt be in the public interest to prosecute.

However, they have recognised him and gone to the police , so it may be more serious. I would suggest that he admits it in full, shows full remorse and they will give a lesser punishment.

Either way a Caution is a Criminal Record and should be avoided if at all possible. Many young lives blighted by these "Cautions" showing up on a DBS a few yerars later.

you need to get the truth from your son before you attend so that way it is easier for him to tell his side of the story and not waste the police time dragging things out of him when he syas things that contractdicts the evidence. He should apologise for his actions and using up their precious time on this matter.

I would presume there is intel about this so it may be that his friends are known to the police rather than anything he has done before but keep an open mind. It is rare for anything other than a noted warning for a first offence and this is lower than a police caution so wont appear on a DBS check

Either way a Caution is a Criminal Record and should be avoided if at all possible. Many young lives blighted by these "Cautions" showing up on a DBS a few yerars later.

Absolutely agree 100%. There is no such thing as 'just' a Caution. It will still be seen in the same way as a conviction for theft should a DBS be needed for employment in the future. It may also prevent travel to certain countries, most notably the USA should this be needed in future. Even a pocket book entry can, even though unlikely, and depending on the circumstances lead to the matter of an allegation of theft by shoplifting being recorded and disclosed in an enhanced check for certain occupations

So what happened at the police station?