Thieves smash hospice shop

THIEVES have broken into Levin's Arohanui Hospice shop.PHOTO: ASHLEIGH COLLIS

A thief broke into Levin's Arohanui Hospice Shop, kicked down doors and stole their computer and a pair of large bolt cutters - "probably for the next job" said Hospice store manager Josie Connor.

The intruder jumped the back gate, jimmied a window open and kicked open internal doors, leaving havoc behind last week in a brazen robbery.

"They had been into the jewellery, leaving what they didn't want all over the floor," Mrs Connor said.

"A door labelled Staff was kicked in, before they discovered it was only a toilet."
Mrs Connor said that her office had been ransacked, with drawers emptied out onto the ground.

"Luckily we have a safe that is fixed in place and they weren't able to get at it," she said.
"We are all volunteers, we spend our retirement years raising money for Hospice and then this low life breaks in."

She said 70 per cent of the work the organisation does is in Horowhenua.

"All the money raised through the shop is spent in Horowhenua. This year Hospice had a financial shortfall of 2.4 million. We raised a big portion of that," she said.

"It is hard to believe that people would break in and ruin it all."

A builder has replaced the broken doors although Connor said the insurance excess would cost them $1000.

"My poor boss has been away on holiday and I had to interrupt her break away to tell her about the break-in," she said.

"I just hope the thief doesn't need hospice services one day or they might be sorry they broke in."