Burglars hit hospice shop for a second time

Levin's Arohanui Hospice shop has been broken into and an upstairs office trashed in the second burglary in just weeks at the charity store.

The break-in is thought to have happened sometime on Saturday night, the offenders using a ladder to access the roof and then break in through an upstairs window.

While the contents of the office were scattered all over the floor, nothing noticeable seemed to have been taken, said the organisation's director of strategy and operations Louise Curtis.

"There was nothing for them to take," she said.

"It was a huge mess. It makes us feel very unsafe."

A police forensics team had inspected the site, and it appeared the perpetrators had used disposable gloves, with one left at the scene.

An older model computer, which had been brought in to replace the one stolen in the previous burglary, had not been taken, and staff were still trying to ascertain if anything was missing.

Ms Curtis said the break-in was extremely disheartening for the team who worked at the store, all of whom felt extremely sad that people could have such disregard for the work the charity does.

She said they would be investigating extra security, including installation of cameras and sensors. She also asked for anyone who may have heard or seen anything to contact the police.

The best way the community could support the charity, she said, was to keep shopping at the store, and continue to donate clean, saleable used goods.