Thieves steal van from hospice for the seriously ill
Thieves stole a van from a hospice which works for the seriously ill, prompting an urgent appeal for its whereabouts.
The white Ford Transit Trend van belonging to St Giles Hospice was taken from its warehouse at Birchbrook Industrial Park off Lynn Lane, Shenstone.
The hospice, which offers specialist care in a variety of settings for patients with cancer and other serious illnesses, made the discovery after returning from the Christmas break.
Drivers were preparing to deliver and collect furniture donations to and from the various St Giles shops across the region when they realised the van, which features green St Giles Hospice logos on either side and has the registration number YS11 YMM, was missing.
It is believed it was taken from the warehouse on December 27 at around 6.40 pm.
The van was fitted with a tracking system – however, this has since been removed and the vehicle's last movement was recorded at 9.25pm on December 27 at an unknown location.
Lynwen Truesdale, the head of retail for St Giles Hospice, said: "It saddens me that the charity has been targeted in this way, it really is very disappointing.
"We rely on our vans to deliver the donations made by our generous supporters, which in turn enable us to continue providing specialist services and high-quality care for local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses.
"This has inevitably had a major impact on us. We've had to pay for a hire van to help us continue our deliveries and collections, and until the stolen vehicle is returned we can't settle an insurance claim.
"We are also concerned that the thieves might pose as charity workers so we would like to warn people to be extra vigilant and remind them that our van drivers always wear a St Giles uniform and will be able to show identification if required.
"If anyone thinks they might have seen the van or knows anything about this incident please contact the police as soon as possible."
The stolen vehicle did not have any donations inside of it at the time it was stolen.
It is one of four St Giles Hospice vans and the remaining three are still on the roads delivering and collecting donations.
This has led Staffordshire Police to urge members of the public to double check registration plates before contacting them about the stolen van.
They added in a message to local businesses: "Please be on your guard and observant at all times and review any security measures.
"Anyone with any information in relation to this crime is asked to contact the police on 101 quoting incident number 113."
The crime reference number is F2/292/2016.
