Grinch ‘arrested’ by police to give nursery kids closure after break-in

Nursery staff had the perfect response after children were traumatised by a ‘bad man’ who broke in and smashed a window.

The real-life burglar gained entry to the building in Scotland on December 8, making off with an iPad, and when children saw the damaged door, they were shocked and upset.

Manager Annefrances McGrath said: ‘On the spot, I said “I wonder if the Grinch has come to the nursery and been really naughty.’

This gave her and her caretaker husband Paul the idea of staging another break-in by ‘the Grinch’. They roped in the local police too, who donated a bag of chocolate for his swag bag.

Paul then dressed in a Grinch suit to return to the scene of the crime, where the children were ready and waiting to catch him in a giant net.

‘It was about saving the children from the trauma of thinking a “bad man” had been in their nursery,’ Annefrances said.

After catching the culprit, a community police officer appeared to handcuff the Grinch and take him away – but not before the children took his bag of sweets.

Annefrances added: ‘There was lots of cheering and high fives when he went in the van – although I’m not sure the janitor was cheering!’

Staff at Ivy in the Park nursery in Carntyne had tried to fix all the damage before the children were due in, but the specialist glass on the fire door had to be ordered in which took more time.

When the children realised there had been a break-in, there were ‘lots of chats about if he would come back, and I thought we needed some closure’, Annefrances said.

‘The community police officer, Declan, was really on board from the start. He was so happy to be able to support us getting some closure from the children,’ she said.

‘We all wanted them to know that their nursery was safe before they went on their Christmas break.

‘The most important thing to us is that the kids know that we’re here for them, and that if there is a problem, we can help, no matter how big it seems to them.’

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