Police suspect some appeal gifts stolen

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33671, 22 October 1974, Page 1

Police suspect some appeal gifts stolen

The police suspect bogus collectors picked up some Ashburton householders’ gifts to the Orana Park wildlife reserve appeal on Saturday.

The police in Ashburton have received an anonymous complaint and 10 opened appeal envelopes.

The complainant said that the envelopes were found under trees near a coal yard in West Street, and had been “opened by children who had spent the contents of the envelopes on fireworks.” The letter was signed “Concerned Parent.” Senior-Sergeant A. E. Leadley said it was obvious that most of the mutilated envelopes had been sealed, and later opened and emptied. The circumstances were sufficient to suspect that thefts had occurred. He asked the complainant to visit him in confidence. A personal discussion would help to clear up the matter. At present, the police had little information to work on, and possibly suspicion had been cast on authorised collectors, said Senior-Sergeant Leadley. The police also asked residents visited by more than one collector on Saturday, or who may have suspicions about a collector, to notify them. The police were trying to establish where there might have been unintended duplication by the authorised collectors, and so narrow down the area where unauthorised collections might have been made, said Senior-Sergeant Leadley. Organiser dismayed The organiser of the appeal in the Ashburton district (Mr D. S. McKenzie) said the possibility that unauthorised children might have collected money from householders dismayed appeal officials. However, there were probably only a few isolated instances of this. The total ■ collected in Ashburton, Fairi ton, and Rakaia was $610.94, and the average household

y|life project. Each had been! I.;identified with a badge, and} y with a bag to receive the! d ! appeal envelopes. d! It was possible that some collectors had overlapped in1- advertently. , y Residents should ask col- ' lectors to produce their badge C' or other official authorisaii- tion from the appeal organd- isation, he said.

contribution was slightly higher than in Christchurch “I don’t think we lost very much through .unauthorised collection of envelopes,” saic Mr McKenzie. Ninety-three children collected for the appeal. They had responded enthusiastic ally because of a love of ani mals and interest in the wild