Can i call the police on someone who tries to take my xbox out of my room?

[Azaraxzealot]

Here's the situation. I bought this xbox with my own money

Who gave you the money?
That's what my parents always used to say.

i earned it at my job
at my college.
thank you very much

 

[jackpipsam]

do it, then come back and tell us what happened

 

[DefunctTheory]

This is one of those scenarios where violence is the answer.

Seriously. Hit him. HARD.

Also, the fact that you haven't locked your room or stored your possessions make me question whether you have much of a right to complain. If your brother is a thieving druggy, these precautions would have been taken ages ago.

Plus

Equals stuff thats yours stays yours

 

[Angerwing]

Don't call the police. Seriously.

Regardless of your feelings, a criminal record can have major repercussions for the rest of his life. Don't be rash. If you really want to take action, beat him up. That way perhaps he'll be able to get a job when he's older.

 

[qeinar]

only if he takes it out of the house with intent to sell it.

but if it's a problem invest 15 bucks on a lock for your door.

pretty much this. get a fucking lock. also you could rather call the police on his drug usage, you would certainly get rid of him and his friends that way.

this would probably fuck up your brothers life though, and well having a brother that's mad at you for the rest of your life is probably not a good feeling.

Beating him up as alot of people have suggested could be a good way to go about it, also if he' sa drug addict he would not go to the police, nearly no matter what you do to him. : p

 

[madster11]

Go smack him - hard - and tell his friends to get out of the house or you're going to assume they're invading your home and have just assaulted your brother. It's at this point you need to pull out a bat or something.

Once they're gone, take your xbox back and tell your brother he has 1 week to stop taking these drugs or you're going to break his legs.


Don't nark. Violence works 10x better against drug addicts than the law, especially when the police may not even come up with evidence.
It may seem harsh, but having lessons beat into you works much better than maybe having some police harass you.

Speaking from experience here.

(Note: Don't actually break his legs.)

 

[Something Amyss]

I would totally agree with the general sentiment of "get a lock." No good will come of involving the police in an internal family issue on this scale.

 

[Grospoliner]

Here's the situation. I bought this xbox with my own money, there is another xbox in the house (but it seldom works because of a dirty laser). One of my brothers bursts into my room and goes "let me use your xbox." i just told him no because im downloading something.

so technically if he takes it after i told him not to, can i call the police on him? (he also has some shady friends over that i dont want here, can i get rid of them too? technically speaking.)

and yes. i would call the police on my own brother. he's a drug addict who spends more than half his day (actually calculated) high and spends every last penny of his money on buying more drugs. i dont care about that, though, and ive never reported him for it. but if his actions start to interfere with my life.... thats where i draw the line

EDIT: he's already stolen some of my property (stuff that seems unlikely to be stolen or could easily be blamed on someone else). he's even taken my ID on more than one occasion. dont ask how it works for him. he doesnt even look like me yet he takes it anyways :/

The crime is called "larceny" if the property in question is removed from the legal owner's premises. Now if you live with your parents then the option to press charges technically falls to them as they are the owner of the property regardless of whether or not you can produce the evidence showing the machine is your legal property from your bank account, etc. The simplest solution is for you to lock the xbox into a cabinet that is not easily breached, but that you can still operate the device from. You should look for a small metal cabinet or even a lock box large enough to put the machine in, and drill holes in it for your wires. You may then bolt said lock box to the floor/desk/shelf/wall/something too big and heavy to carry off. Ideally you want something padlocked and hardcore enough to not be pried open with a crowbar or driver. Then, when you poesses the only key, ensure that it never leaves your person/sight and the next time he attempts to pilfer your console he should be in for a rude awakening.

If you don't live with your parents, send his dumb ass to jail.

 

[BrownGaijin]

Yes you could, but I don't see them doing much. I'm also going to have to agree with the previously stated solutions (lock your stuff up, involve your parents). I would even agree beating the crap out of him, just remember the more violent the actions the more heavier the consequences - go too far, and you might end up in a worse situation than him.

Here's another idea: Call A&E and get him on "Beyond Scarred Straight". Seriously your brother sounds like he needs help.

 

[mcl323]

Calling the police probably won't get anything done, but I don't know where you live and thus do not know your local laws. The best (most level headed) thing you can do is to got to you local police station and ask to talk to an officer/get advice about what your legal options are from a professional instead of a gaming site (no offence to others here)

Beating your brother up, even if he is a druggie, could get you in as much trouble as him and achieves very little.

In the short run do the sensible thing and get a lock on your door to stop your brother getting in when you are away. Next time you see your parents tell them you need to talk to them about this stuff and they should make an effort to listen.

If all else fails then, and only then, take the physical route and beat some sense into him

 

[godofallu]

Are you the older or younger brother?

Also if he wants to borrow it that doesn't seem like a big enough deal to call the police. If he hasn't taken it out of the house then it isn't stealing. Only if it goes off the property.

Frankly if your brother is a serious drug addict then you should get him clean, no matter the cost. If you're the little brother then I guess you might only be able to offer words, but if your the older then IMO it's your responsibility to give him some tough love. I've seen the difference between someone who gets help through a strong family and someone who doesn't.

 

[Death on Trapezoids]

I say if you don't want to take action, then put a lock on your door.
There are millions of how-to guides out there.

My advice? You wait until his friends leave, and let him know that your stuff is off limits, and that you don't want your name circulating through the criminal underworld because of his addiction. Drug addicts only quit if they want to, and until then you need to make boundaries clear.

Furthermore, you get your parents by the ear, drag them in, and force them to, y'know, actually do some parenting

 

[lacktheknack]

Hmm...tough call.

Where are your parents? Get them to intervene first.

well thats the problem. they're never around. im legally an adult so im the only one responsible for the house most of the time. but no one listens to me, so i just ended up shutting myself in my room all the time to avoid my brothers doing this to me:

Me: You shouldn't have a picture of yourself doing drugs right on your cell phone background. You know you-
A Brother (either): SHUT UP! GOD! YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!
Me: I'm just trying to-
Brother: NO THEY CAN'T!
Me: Yes they-
Brother: Shut up.
Me: I'm jus-
Brother: Shut up.
Me: Will yo-
Brother (pretending like he's talking to someone else): Wow, he just won't shut up. Didn't I just tell him to shut up?


real conversation i had this morning. not taken out of context

..........

CALL THE POLICE.

EDIT: To expand on that, your brother sounds screwed up, completely out of line, and a hazard to himself and everyone around him. He needs an intervention, police might be a good start.

Screw passive-aggressive behavior and "manning up", this kid needs a good sitting in Juvie.

 

[MrJoyless]

Do you...

A. Own said X box meaning it was not a gift from your parents and was purchased with your own money.

If yes, then either inform your parents of the removal if your brother gets violent or tries to prevent you from taking your property then calling the police is an option, a rather drastic one but it is an option.

If no, as in this was a combined gift or a house "owned" item then you are outta luck unless one of your brothers friends tries to remove it from your house or they damage it in any way.


B. Have ownership rights in the place you are staying aka you are on the lease, mortgage etc?

If yes, this only works if your brother does not also have lease rights etc calling the cops in that situation will lead to pissed off cops as they cant remove someone from the premises unless they are committing a crime if they are a guest of someone that lives in said residence.

If no, call your parents and tell on him...yes its a ***** thing to do but if its important enough to ask if you can call the cops on them calling your parents is a bit less....extreme.

***EDIT***

shit shit i forgot......

DO NOT CALL 911!!

call the police station proper and speak to one of the officers on duty if you call 911 and the call is unnecessary your parents will pay for it and youll have some very angry police officers

 

[Gutkrusha]

I know all the pacifists on the Escapist are saying 'get him help! Don't advocate violence!' Well folks, you can't 'get' an addicted person help. It doesn't work unless they want it to work.

Kick the shit out of him, get a lock for your door, and watch out for his druggy friends if he's causing you so much trouble or you're certain he's going to steal your possessions.

 

[JWAN]

GO for it. Its your stuff, you paid for it, you earned it.

of course if the police do show up they will prolly tack on a crime for drug possession. so take that into consideration

 

[BanthaFodder]

yeah, just buy a lock, either that or just hide the xbox for a while. stoners have notoriously short attention spans. he'll get distracted by some lolcats soon enough and you'll be able to play in peace

 

[lacktheknack]

I know all the pacifists on the Escapist are saying 'get him help! Don't advocate violence!' Well folks, you can't 'get' an addicted person help. It doesn't work unless they want it to work.

Kick the shit out of him, get a lock for your door, and watch out for his druggy friends if he's causing you so much trouble or you're certain he's going to steal your possessions.

I advocate getting him put in Juvie. Is that a compromise? Or do you just think that violence will somehow fix the problem better?