Thieves smashed glass and wood doors, wrenched safe doors from hinges and ransacked filing cabinet drawers in a search for cash at The Salvation Army citadel in Taree.
Forensic police today (May 23) visited the citadel in Manning Street to gather evidence as shocked Salvation Army majors Michael and Sandy Hogg, office manager Lyn Tisdell and church members started the clean-up as they struggled with their feelings of shock, disappointment and frustration. Police will investigate the break-in which happened between 6pm on May 22 and 9am on May 23.
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The splintered and exposed wood of the broken door speaks to the violent entry to the citadel office area and chunks of fractured concrete litter the carpet. Major Michael Hogg holds up one of the destroyed safe doors and as he does, concrete falls to the floor from the internal cavity of the safe door.
“It’s such a mess,” he said.
Glass fragments cover the carpet near the shattered entry door to the pop-up op shop – a new temporary addition to the citadel as The Salvation Army fights to limit the financial impact of access issues to its store in Pulteney Street which is in the section of the street that is being reconstructed.
The search for cash covered numerous areas of the citadel and the resulting damage and clean-up will take time and money that should be directed to this weekend’s major fundraising event for The Salvation Army – The Red Shield Appeal.
Office manager Lyn Tisdell believes The Red Shield Appeal and the recent addition of the pop-up op shop to the premises are likely reasons the citadel was hit.
“We bank very frequently and so they really only got the incidentals which is good,” Lyn said.
This is also our church, and Michael was saying earlier that it feels like your home has been broken into – it gives you that same sense of not feeling safe.
- Salvation Army Taree office manager Lyn Tisdell
“This is where I work and have worked for 20 years. There has been other break-ins during that time but nothing for a long time and it is a shock every time because it totally disrupts everything. You have to start all over again.
“Where is the money going to come from? It will have to come from our church members and a lot of them are pensioners. It will shock them very much.”
Major Michael Hogg paused to sigh as he spoke of the possible connection to The Red Shield Appeal and the fundraising that occurs during May.
“The Family Store is here because of the access problem (in Pulteney Street), so we thought we would do something nice for the community and bring it up here, and now someone has broken in,” he said.
It feels disappointing that people would take advantage of that situation when we are trying to raise funds to help people. It kind of undermines that and it’s just so disappointing that people would target us for that.
- Major Michael Hogg
Major Sandy Hogg adds that “it is frustrating, it is a very big inconvenience and a lot of work to clean it up.
“It is not necessary to rob The Salvation Army. If you need help come and ask us and we will help you. We are here for the community, to support the community and love them, and so to treat us like this is not necessary.”