A police investigation is being carried out after a break-in at the MiCommunity shop in Margate’s Old Town, which provides affordable food and household goods for their clients as well as advice for benefits, budgeting and more.
John Finnegan, who co-founded Margate Independent Food Bank and then MiCommunity,, said it is the third break-in over the last 12 months. Thieves targeted the stock room.
It is estimated that the loss of stock and damage to the site is at a cost of some £1,000.
Mr Finnegan said: “This means we will have £1,000 less to help the families in the community. This has really knocked me for six. Over the last three years me and the rest of the volunteers have tried to support the community but this makes me wonder if it’s worth it.
“We have stepped up security. Thankfully they didn’t target the shop itself, they targeted the stock room via another door.
“The shop is well covered by CCTV. We are having alarms fitted in the shop and in stock room plus CCTV in the basement. Me and the volunteers are not going to stop helping the community. We have hard times coming.”
Inspector Ian Swallow, of Thanet Community Safety Unit, said: ‘Kent Police was contacted at 9am on Tuesday 30 August and it was reported that, between 7am and 8am that morning, an organisation in Duke Street, Margate had been broken into and a number of food and drink items stolen.
‘Officers have since attended and an investigation is underway, including door-to-door enquiries, a review of local CCTV and speaking to potential witnesses.
‘We understand that burglary is very distressing for victims, and this offence is aggravated by having been carried out against an organisation working to help the local community.
‘I urge anyone who saw anything suspicious in the Duke Street area on Tuesday morning, or who has any information which may assist our investigation, to contact Kent Police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/169804/22.
‘You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete the online form on their website.”
MiCommunity Shop, at 6 Duke Street, is now appealing for help to replenish stock.
They need
Tinned baked beans
Tinned soups
Tinned meats
Tinned vegetables
Tinned fish
Tinned fruit
Ladies’ hygiene products
Washing powder
Milk
Shampoo
Conditioner
Cereals
The shop is open Tuesday to Friday, from 10am until 3pm and Saturday 11am till 3pm
Phone 01843280074
Email mifoodbank@aol.com
Seems they couldn’t afford it.
Just robbing themselves, surely they could afford to buy ‘affordable’ food?
SHAME ON THOSE WHO KEEP BREAKING IN TO THIS SHOP. MAYBE THERE IS A KIND SOUL OUT THERE WHO COULD FIT SECURITY CAMERAS TO DETER INTRUDERS, AT LEAST IT COULD CAPTURE PHOTOS OF WHO THE CULPRITS ARE.
It is really coming to something when the scumbags and ne’er-do-wells of this parish stoop so low as to rob a charity shop set up to aid the poor and needy.
Do they know no shame ?
I wont be moving to that area then.
Hope they catch the scumbags.
Sad news. Such lovely helpful and friendly people that run that food hub. Desperately need this hub in our struggling community. I will drop off a donation tomorrow.
The police will no doubt already have an idea who these scumbags are, they have probably arrested and charged them countless times before for similar crimes only for a soft left leaning judge to give them yet another chance to stay in the community and commit more crimes by giving them community sentences rather than jail time.
The real criminals are the judges who continually let these people roam the streets committing more crimes instead of locking them away in a dark cell where they belong. The needs of the criminals seem to be of more importance to our judges than the needs of the victims of crime. Repeat offenders need imprisonment not sympathy.
Its almost as if the Tories have spent a decade hobbling the justice system, isn’t it? Its why barristers are striking too, you doughnut.
“Repeat offenders need imprisonment not sympathy.”
Tell me you don’t have a scooby about recidivism and why it happens, without telling me.
“It woz the Tories that made me do it!”
I think you really need to look at current data regarding reoffending rates among criminals given community sentences, the figures are appalling and getting worse. I am also unfortunate enough to know a lot of people who who go through the criminal justice system and they openly admit that community sentences are not a deterrent to them.
Habitual offenders left to reoffend with little to no consequences blight our communities and their antisocial behaviour is ruining law abiding peoples lives. At least while a criminal is incarcerated they aren’t reoffending and every day an offender is in a jail cell is a day our communities are saved from more of their antisocial behaviour and criminality.
The criminal justice system just like our social care system are embedded with left wing ideologist’s.
The Tory party might be in government but behind the scenes the far left minority with their left of Center liberal friends are calling the shots. Every time the Tory party does try to pass a new law that involves getting tough on criminal behaviour or controlling the flow of migrants etc the far left shout the loudest brigade automatically scream racism and their left leaning lawyers manage to get the process halted by going to the European courts. Our County is failing the majority and pandering to the minority.
I definitely have zero sympathy for county lines drug dealers, heroin addicts shoplifting to feed their habits, and teens terrorising local communities. You can choose to sympathise with them but then you probably don’t have to live in a community that is blighted by them.
If you feel so strongly about keeping criminals on our streets and in our communities then perhaps you should volunteer to pick up the smashed glass and needles on our streets caused by the junkies or how about cleaning up the graffiti that is making our streets an eyesore, better still you could volunteer to act as father figure to some of the feral kids that blight our towns and cities because they are no longer afraid of our police force because left wing judges keep letting them off, time and time again.
I think the turning ‘feral kids’ around is possible but incredibly time-consuming requiring love, patience, firmness, money. Teachers, Social Workers, Youth Detention staff et al do not have sufficient time or resources. In custody they are more likely to become dyed-in-the-wool offenders than better citizens.
As an ex-teacher I would like to see schools get much, much more support to enable them to spend a lot of time supporting and guiding the most difficult kids. As it is, many problems are brushed under the carpet as schools effectively compete with each other in terms of results. No school ever declares that it has a lot of troubled and troublesome kids who they are determined to equip with basic skills and a moral compass regardless of their standing in the league tables. That would be reputational suicide.
Funnily enough, it seems to me that practically every aspect of government has the far right “calling the shots”.