dibo
Well-Known Member
SMH - Hunt for dumpster kids
Les Kennedy
August 19, 2008 - 4:27PM
Police are searching the Hunter Valley town of Maitland for three children, aged between four and nine, whom they believe have been living rough on and off for the past fortnight in an industrial dumpster bin.
The search follows the discovery yesterday of a mattress, blankets and pillows inside the bin at the rear of a High Street store in a semi-industrial area of the town situated near a caravan park and some flats.
"The information we have is very scant and comes from employees at the store who reported seeing the children in the vicinity of the dumpster in the past two weeks," Maitland Police duty officer Inspector Glenn Blain said today.
Inspector Blain said that, although police had no reports of three children missing in the town, police had to treat the report seriously until they had located the children.
"It appears they may have been sleeping in the dumpster," he said.
"According to store employees the children are two boys aged about four and six years old and a girl aged about nine years."
"We are trying to do the best thing for them and we don't want them to think they are in trouble, but we have to treat it as serious.
"We are hoping that they are most likely from a home nearby, but we don't know what their home situation is like and therefore have to speak to their parents.
Badly dressed
One of the nearby workers told The Herald in Newcastle that the children were dirty, badly dressed, and one had no shoes.
One of her colleagues threw some cardboard in the bin for recycling and it hit one of the children on the head.
"The child jumped up and both of them were shocked," she said.
"They have cleaned the bin and placed a mattress in it," she told the paper, adding that the bin had been lined with cardboard, had old curtains draped over holes, a chenille bedspread, a pillow and a green enviro shopping bag.
"Inside is always neat and tidy and the bed is usually made perfectly," the worker said. "At first we thought the kids were just playing in the bin but they are there during the day with no adult and you just wonder why they are dressed the way they are and why they are not at school. It is so sad."
Inspector Bain said it was a possibility that the children may have been using the bin as a cubby house without realising how potentially dangerous that could be.
Waste collection stopped
"For the time being we have got the local waste company to halt bin collections at the store. Inspector Blain said the children were last seen in the area on Saturday.
"We have had the area under surviellance and have been conducting patrols at night but they have not turned up. We are hoping that they will return to the area,'' he said.
The Department of Community Services and Missing Persons Unit has also been asked to help and schools were being checked.
The youngest boy is described as having a shaved head, the elder boy has a mullet-style hair cut while no description is available for the girl.
Anyone with information about the children or their whereabouts is urged to contact Maitland Police Station on (02) 4934 0200, Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or the Department of Community Services on 132 111.
