[size=12pt]Man steals guide dog collection statue from club[/size]
By Neil Keene
December 14, 2007 12:00am
PETTY criminals do not get much lower than this heartless and stupid thief.
Just two weeks before Christmas, the man captured in these security footage images made off with a NSW Guide Dogs collection statue and stripped it of its donations.
The brazen thief walked into the Hexham Bowling Club near Newcastle during a poker tournament on Monday night, tucked the plastic dog under his arm and made a quick getaway via the club's car park.
Click here to see the shocking footage.
Police believe the same man also broke into one of the club's vending machines on the night and stole its takings.
Club manager and Clubs NSW regional spokesman Jon Chin yesterday said the theft was "despicable".
"What sort of upbringing has he been given? I am absolutely at a loss to understand why or how anyone can commit such a despicable act," he said.
"What happened to the spirit of Christmas?"
Senior Constable Tony Tamplin said any theft from a charity was "an extremely low act".
"It is really stealing from the community as a whole because it is usually the community that donated to the organisation in the first place," he said.
"It's an extremely antisocial act and it is the act of a person who has no respect or concern for their community in any way."
The thief is clearly as thick as he is thoughtless - he committed the theft in view of a 24-hour security camera.
Police are examining the footage and have taken DNA samples from the vending machine.
Meanwhile, the canine collection box has been returned to the club after it was dumped in the front yard of a nearby house.
Mr Chin said it would have to be chained and padlocked from now on to prevent a repeat theft.
"The amount of money stolen probably wasn't thousands of dollars but that's not the point," he said.
"This guy has done a very low-heeled thing and he needs to be put in his place."
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT spokeswoman Manisha Amin said they relied solely on public and corporate donations to survive.
Its 900 plastic dog collection bins, scattered throughout the state, have garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars since being introduced in the 1970s.
"It is disheartening that people would steal from a worthy charity at this time of year," Ms Amin said.
It costs about $26,000 to train a single guide dog.
Anyone with information should call The Daily Telegraph on 9288 3415