Community rally after spate of charity box thefts across Halesowen

A number of businesses and charities in the town have reported charity collection tins stolen throughout the past few weeks, including Our Plaice fish and chip shop, Tesco Express, in Stourbridge Road, and Townsend Social Club, as well as The Laurels, Chainmakers fish and chip shop and Nisa in Colley Gate.

During the recent spate of thefts, the Nisa store lost about £130 of donations towards the replacement a memorial bench to local man Robbie Williams when its collection box was taken on August 17 – despite it being chained down.

West Midlands Police say an investigation into the Nisa store theft is still ongoing.

Since then, determined staff have been campaigning to replace the funds, with customers donating £380 to the cause, with plans being put in place for a new bench to be installed soon.

Georgina Rowe, who led the campaign, said: “When I heard the news that Robbie’s bench had been stolen it angered me, why someone would go so low and steal the bench.

“And then to find out someone stole the money that the community donated was another blow. So I decided to take action and get the money back.

“I know most people have small change so asking for one pence was quite easy, but the best part was the community really pulled together donating a lot more. Some even gave £5 to £10.”

As well as remembering Robbie, the new bench will also honour Ian Newton – the father of Nisa store owner Andrew Newton – who has spent a number of years investing in plans to regenerate Colley Gate.

Community campaigner James Clinton, a friend of Mr Newton, is now calling for all members of the public to report crimes to the police – no matter how small.

Mr Clinton said: “Since 2014, crime has soared in the area with more break-ins and vehicle thefts than I can ever recall in my lifetime. Decent hard-working families are being targeted by these thieves and the public’s patience is wearing thin.

“The police force, which are underfunded and ran off their feet, are feeling the crunch. With the current Labour Police and Crime Commissioner’s bad budgeting decisions and cruel political games, I fear it’s only going to get worse over the next 18 months.

“As a result people are reporting crimes less and are losing faith in the system. I urge you to report these non-emergency crimes. It may take a bit longer to get through on 101 as you would like but all information gathered helps the police in the long run.”

Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Dr Lynnette Kelly, has urged businesses and the public to report all crimes, adding: “The intelligence gathered is crucial in tracking down criminals and bringing them to justice.”

She said: “Government politicians and their local representatives have to be honest with the public and admit where the police are not meeting public expectations.

“The West Midlands has been hit harder than anywhere else by government cutbacks, leaving us with a smaller budget to pass on to the police to deal with those challenges.

“We have had to prioritise. This is not an easy process and leaves people rightly disappointed when the response from the police no longer meets their expectations. When a crime happens to someone it is rightly felt as the most important thing in their lives at that moment. It is therefore disappointing that we can’t always deal with it in the way that they expect.

“The government needs to be honest with the public and either fund the police properly, or level with them that the police won’t be able to do everything that is expected of them currently. We have faced cuts of £145 million since 2010, and despite a relentless efficiency drive have lost over 2,000 officers.

“We are constantly driving efficiencies, by rolling out new technology to keep officers on the beat and cutting down on form filling and bureaucracy. The independent inspectorate rates West Midlands Police as one of the most efficient forces in the country - who focus on the frontline.”