Gang tries to steal cash from a charity shop (From This Is Wiltshire)

Gang tries to steal cash from a charity shop

2:00pm Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Latest News By Josh Layton

TRADERS in Havelock Street will finally get CCTV, after a charity shop became the latest store to be targeted by thieves.

Two men tried unsuccesfully to steal money from the till of the Shaw Trust branch last Wednesday, while another made his way upstairs. An elderly woman who had been working alone at the shop, which helps disabled people find employment, was left in shock.

Manager Carol Fordham said: “We are extremely disappointed that a charity shop was targeted, especially as Shaw Trust works to help the community.

“Although we cannot comment on the incident itself as it is now being dealt with by the police, our staff are extremely hard-working and their safety is paramount to us. Thankfully no one was hurt, but a member of staff has been extremely shaken by this incident, and we would support any local initiatives which make the street safer for everyone.”

Grocer Dennis Richens, who runs So Fresh So Simple Ltd, was also targeted by thieves in December.

He said: “A group of girls came in and asked me to fetch something out the back. When I returned they had taken nearly £400 from the till.

“They were outside the shop chatting for about five minutes first. There is a CCTV camera right at the end by the Brunel Centre, but it wasn’t facing this way. Apparently it only looks at Havelock Street once in a blue moon. I was given a crime reference number by the police but haven’t heard back.”

Vince Ayris, who runs an engraving shop next door to the Shaw Trust, said: “We are quite a tight community here and if I’d have known what was going on, I would have snatched the lot of them myself. The street has a lot of character and successful traders, but it needs investment. As far as town centre prestige goes, we are the oldest street, but also the lost street.”

Romeo Pirvu, the director of SNES sports nutrition and equipment suppliers, has asked town centre management company InSwindon to install CCTV.

He said: “We have never had any problems in the shop but that doesn’t mean things won’t go wrong in the future.

“I have suggested to InSwindon for the past year and a half, if not two years, that CCTV should be installed. It means at least there is something to look at and a better chance of a prosecution. I am disappointed it hasn’t happened.”

But Simon Jackson, chief executive of inSwindon BID, said: “There is a dialogue with inSwindon and a number of other stakeholders taking place. The formal and final plans are still to be drawn up but within six months CCTV cameras in Havelock Street will be up and running.”

A police spokesman confirmed officers were called to an attempted theft at the charity shop at 4.25pm on February 1. He said: “Two men went into the shop and one of them asked a woman working there to show him something. She turned to see another man behind the till and challenged him. Both men then left without appearing to have taken anything. Upstairs she saw another man in a staff area who also left with nothing taken.”

One of the men was white, 5ft 8in tall, of medium build and in his 30s. His accomplice was of mixed race, between 5ft10 to 6ft tall, and wearing a big coat.

The man found upstairs was white, around 5ft 8in tall, aged between 30-40, skinny, and wore black tracksuit bottoms and a black coat. All three men smelled of alcohol.

Anyone with information should call police on 101.