POLICE in Lisburn have seized a quantity of clothing which they believe has been taken from clothing banks across Northern Ireland and are keen to hear from any charities who believe they may have been targeted by thieves.
Police appeal to the public
Last week, October 1, security staf
f at Tescos at Bentrim Road discovered a suspicious looking vehicle at a recycling facility at the site and two people were caught interfering with a Salvation Army clothing bank. The occupants were arrested and the vehicle seized. Both were released and will appear in court in November.
Police say the buoyant market price for used clothing has left local charities facing the problem of thefts from clothing banks which are sited at shops and amenity areas across the country.
The Salvation Army, who have 3,500 collection banks in the United Kingdom, say thefts from the banks have escalated by 20 per cent.
Paul Ozanne, National Recycling Coordinatorwith Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd said that as well as losing the clothes, often the banks are damaged.
"We are working closely with the police service in Northern Ireland, the Garda in Donegal and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to try and address the situation," he said.
"We have increased the frequency of our bank collections and we always use distinctive, Salvation Army branded vehicles. If any of your readers see a bank being emptied by other unmarked vehicles then they should report it to the police as soon as possible.
"Theft from our banks reduces the amount of money that we can gift aid to The Salvation Army to support their social and welfare community work throughout the UK."
Paul also urged the public to continue donating their unwanted clothes.
"Unwanted clothing plays such a vital role in local communities," he said. "By using our banks to recycle their clothing, the public have chosen to support the work of The Salvation Army not that of the thieves."
