Stills from CCTV footage at the Happy Paws charity shop in Santa Venera show a man stopping outside the establishment and taking a box left in the parapet by a benefactor.A voluntary organisation that runs charity shops is appealing for thieves to stop pilfering goods left on the doorstep by benefactors.
Video footage from a CCTV camera installed at the Happy Paws charity shop in Santa Venera, which can be viewed on timesofmalta.com, shows a man pinching three boxes at 2.16am.
The man stops his car in the main road in front of the shop, opens the booth, and enters the small parapet (the shop entrance is set back by four feet, enough space for boxes not to clutter the pavement) three times, each time walking away with a box.
The incident happened last Sunday but according to Lino Mintoff, a member of the charity group, this was not the only case of theft.
He once caught a woman, who pleaded with him not to call in the police, and another man ran off when confronted about his actions.
“People leave their donations outside in the parapet when the shop is closed and it is not fair on them when others just steal the items that would have been donated for a good cause,” Mr Mintoff said.
He appealed for more consideration because the charity shop provided the funding for the services offered to people who cared for stray animals.
“I am thinking of creating some form of drop box but this could be a problem for those who leave breakable goods. I just want the stealing to stop and hope this [report] will raise awareness.”
Happy Paws is a registered organisation and was founded in 2004. It has a number of programmes including free neutering for adopted stray cats and dogs.
Apart from resident veterinary staff, the organisation is completely run by volunteers. Five charity shops help finance the organisation apart from sponsorships and other donations.
kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com