WATCHING footage of young children being encouraged to help their parents steal donated goods from outside Orange’s St Vincent de Paul charity shop has driven the charity’s management to turn to the police for help.
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Vinnies diocesan executive officer Frank Moes said the installation of a series of CCTV cameras outside the McNamara Street store had done little to deter thieves, with at least four different groups of people captured stealing items on Sunday.
Mr Moes said he had now shown police footage of the crimes in the hope that they may make an arrest.
“Don’t people teach their kids right from wrong anymore?” he said.
“First of all we saw a mother with her very young daughter taking things and it wasn’t long before a man arrived with two children to take more things.”
In footage that lasts for more than an hour the man and boys can been seen loading a shopping trolley full of items they’d sourced from the street.
“There they were, working together,” Mr Moes said.
“When I saw that I decided to call the police and see if they could take any sort of action.”
A third party was captured taking a rug later in the day while another was seen taking goods after dropping other goods off.
Mr Moes said he wanted to remind people that there was no need to steal things as the charity is more than happy to give people what they need.
He said while donors tended to be careful about where they left their goods it didn’t take long for thieves to spread the donated goods all over the road.
Once again volunteers were forced to help clean up the mess early Monday morning.
Mr Moes said he wanted to remind people to donate goods during working hours.
The police are investigating the matter.
