POLICE are searching for callous thieves after two charity boxes were stolen.

Yesterday (August 11) police were called to two separate cases of charity box theft.

The first box was stolen from a shop on Main Street, Dent, at 1:56pm.

The second was reported to police at 5:51pm and took place in Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands.

Sharon Livesey, Crime Prevention Officer, said: “Many of us feel that people would not stoop to stealing from a charity.

"People donate this money to charity in good faith and it only takes seconds for a thief to pick up the box and make off with it.

"Often these boxes have some money inside and are an attractive target for a criminal.

"These incidents highlight the need for business owners who have charity donation boxes to secure these to the counters or nearby tills.

"We do not want to discourage anyone from having a charity box, but just want to make sure they are secure.

“Place them in an area where they will be seen by staff or CCTV and do not leave them next to a door.

"Try to get into the habit of locking the collection boxes away at the close of business - criminals have been known to break into premises to get their hands on collection boxes. Better still, get the box emptied regularly.

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"Making these boxes secure will help make sure that the charity get the money instead of the criminal.

"If they can swipe the box easily and be out of the building quickly, then they will do. If there’s a chance they will be seen and delayed, they will then ask themselves, is this worth the risk?”

Police urge anybody with with any information about either of these incidents to contact Cumbria Police on 101.