There has been a spate of green and black bag slashing incidents in Cathays, Gabalfa and Plasnewydd as students head home for their summer holidays.
Thieves are using knives to cut open bags to look for documents for identity theft and clothes for shops that are now paying for unwanted items of clothing.
There is an increase in bags put out at this time of years as students clear out and vacate their properties and participate in the Get It Out for Cardiff recycle and re-use scheme which involved extra collections over 3 weekends in June and concluded last Saturday (30th).
Council enforcement staff working on the Get It Out for Cardiff campaign have been working closely with the police following a number of such incidents. The police have subsequently made several arrests for theft from the highway.
Police and council officials are reminding residents they should never put documents in their waste that can be used for identity fraud e.g personal details on bank statements, utility bills, council tax documents that have not been removed or obscured etc.
Residents should also ensure they put bags and bins out at the correct time – no earlier than 4.30pm the day before and no later 6am on the collection day. Waste put out at the wrong time could encourage more of this criminal activity.
Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Ashley Govier said, “Bag slashing can cause a mess on our streets and have far-reaching consequences if personal documents are stolen. Unwanted clothes and electrical items can be placed in the many YMCA banks in student areas as part Get It Out for Cardiff 2012 as well as our household waste and recycling centres.
“By correctly presenting their waste and helping charity by donating unwanted clothes residents will remove temptation for this criminal behaviour and help us and our partners in South Wales Police prevent further incidents occurring.”
Sergeant Alun Williams said: “Anyone removing items from bin bags such as clothes or other items bags is quite probably guilty of theft. It is reasonable to assume that those responsible are doing it for money and could well be committing further offences such as identity theft or fly-tipping in the process.
“People can safeguard themselves from things like identity theft by shredding or destroying any documents which hold personal details, and never throwing them out intact. Anyone with information about this kind of activity should contact their local authority or the police non emergency number on 101.”
