The Tisdale Salvation Army suffered damage to its door and locks as part of a string of break-ins over three weeks. (submitted photo/Rick Robins)

By Aaron Schulze

Salvation Army Break-ins

‘Talk to us, don’t steal’: Tisdale Salvation Army broken into

Jan 8, 2021 | 5:06 PM

The Tisdale Salvation Army is asking for the public’s assistance following a string of break-ins to its drop-off shed.

Captain Rick Robins from the Melfort and Tisdale Salvation Army told northeastNOW the shed at the thrift store in Tisdale was broken into several times over the past three weeks. He said the door is wrecked, the locking devices are destroyed, and donations that weren’t stolen are now damaged.

“How do you put a price on something that’s been donated?” Robins said. “A lot of the property that’s been damaged was damaged before we were able to look and see what’s there.

Robins said the Melfort Salvation Army location had previously suffered the same break-in instances as Tisdale’s. It resulted in the Melfort branch spending nearly $5,000 on a security and discussion with the RCMP for crime to halt.

However, it meant they had fewer resources to assist in the community. Robins imagines the Salvation Army will have to upgrade its security in Tisdale as well.

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“We wish we didn’t have to spend a bunch of money upgrading things, but we have to in order to keep it safe for the public and our employees,” he said. “It just means the door gets locked more often than it used to be. We used to leave it open all the time but now we have to lock it because people are stealing and destroying property.”

One bright spot for Robins amidst the break-ins is the showing of community support. The Salvation Army’s Facebook post pleading anyone with knowledge of the break-ins to contact Tisdale RCMP has reached over 100 shares.

If the person, or persons, responsible for the break-ins can hear Robins’ message to them, it’s to talk to them, don’t steal.

“If you need help, come and talk to us,” he said. “We’ll gladly sit down and talk with you and do what we can to help you as best we can. But don’t steal from us. It’s not the right thing to do.”

“If you’re in a down spot and you’re in a place where you feel you need to steal, come talk to us first and we’ll come help you out.”

Robins encourages residents to keep an eye out for suspicious activity near the Tisdale Salvation Army if they’re out and about. Residents can still drop off donations in Tisdale Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Melfort on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Robins said the Salvation Army can arrange after hours donation drop-offs if the timeframes aren’t convenient.