Confusing....

I was out doing my work and getting some things done when I received a call from one of my colleagues that his car was stolen from Tesco hypermart. My first impression was that he must be joking indeed! But his fears are indeed comfounded. He actually parked his car at the alloted parking spot which was about 20 feet away from the main entrance. When I arrived there to help him out I noted that the security team of Tesco hypermart was no help at all. There wasn't any inch of professionalism on their part in handling such a matter. Simple task like getting someone to attend to my colleague's predicament was brushed aside by lackadaisical attitude from the Customer Service representatives and also the security team. The least they could have done was calm my colleague down while helping him out by getting the neccesary filing of internal reports to be done. It was after quite some time that these things are atttended to. I am really appalled by such service standards, actually. Look, the theft occured not less than 20 feet from the main entrance. Of course , I would have been out of mind too! Surely, if there had been adequate security guards on duty, one would be able to identify the culprit(s). Afterall, you can't start a stolen car except if you wireshot or jump start the car by hot wiring. Once again, surely the pet shop owner who was peddling his trade right in front of the parking could have noted something was amiss but instead, he said he didn't know! What a weird situation!

Then it was off the police station, reports after reports as there was always something missing or missed out to be included into the report. In between those times, I felt liking smacking my colleague for being totally too passive & his blunders which kept us going up and down the police station. Then it was off for an interview with the Police IO of the case and spending an hour of so at the police station again. His wife wasn't much of help - heaping the guilty trip on him rather than saying some soothing encouragement. Sometimes, I think that some wives can be put into the cuckoo brain cage! Upon reaching the police station, my colleague was being interviewed by another officer who was helping out his colleague. On my right was another officer taking down the statement of one 16 year old boy who was part of a team of 6 who stole m/cycles. As I looked at the boy, he was wearing an oversized American football jersey and he had handcuffs on him. I asked the officer what would happened to him . The officer politely answered that he'll be sent to Henry Gurney School for reforms. The officer shook his head and told me that the gang leader was a 14 year boy who was so deft in his handyworks to steal m/cycles that no one would imagine that boy is the gang leader.The officer did advise the boy that he should value his life and love his parents for all they have done for him. Instead, he received a smirk from the culprit boy. I was also disgusted when I saw the smirk on his face! Gosh! He is throwing his entire life away just for some short term pleasure. That's the youth of today if they are not rooted in with the word and know the Lord. How sad it is to see young lives ruined for a fistful of dollars and dangerous & reckless living. As we finished from the police station, we headed for our workplace.

Parents, we've got the right to know where our children are in the wee hours of the morning, who they are with and what they are doing. Lest if we don't check on them, they will eventually drift away from us and may just fall like the boy mentioned. We really need to know when and why they are coming home later and all that. It is a dangerous trend to throw fistful of dollars when they throw a tantrum and take a "couldn't care less" attitude. We have a responsibility to bring them up in a manner befitting of a discipline, caring, loving, good natured and humble individuals. If we fail, we are no different from those who just let their chidlren run wild on the streets. Let us cry tears of joy at the success of our children rather than cry of pain when they take the gallows or have a noose around their necks! Yes, Prevention is much better than cure!

BTW, my colleague finally found his car later in the evening when the car was parked at another entrance of Tesco by the culprits and he wasn't informed of this until he went by Tesco car park again in the later evening! So much for big chain hypermarket!