Charity burglary 'as low as'

CHEAP SHOT: Thieves smashed their way into the SPCA on Thursday and stole cash. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The boss of Napier's SPCA says he is appalled at the "low" burglary of the premises on Thursday.

Thieves broke into the Napier premises about 9.45pm, making off with $200 from the till. Despite the security alarm being activated and security staff arriving within minutes, the thieves had already left.

Manager Bruce Wills said although they were disappointed in losing the money, they were also grateful that no animals were harmed.

"With over 100 animals on site, they are obviously our first concern," Mr Wills said. "There was a bit of chaos when I arrived on the scene as the alarm had given them all a fright but they settled down quickly."

The Napier SPCA now faces a large repair bill as well as having to take measures to avoid it happening again.

"We are looking at a variety of options including a better safe and security cameras. It is all scarce money that we would certainly rather go into the care of animals, however it's something we just have to do."

"The SPCA is used to dealing with dubious characters, but stealing off a charity is about as low as it gets."