Police investigate disappearance of statue from outside Belfast library

Police are investigating the disappearance of a statue from outside a library.

The statue, which depicts a girl and a blackbird reading a book, went missing from a plinth on the Ormeau Road in south Belfast and is being treated by police as a theft.

It was reported that it went missing sometime between approximately 7.35pm on Sunday November 19 and 4.30pm on Monday November 20.

Officers are appealing to anyone who may know of the statue’s whereabouts or anyone with CCTV, doorbell or other footage that could assist with enquiries to contact police on 101 quoting reference 1325 of 20/11/23.

SDLP councillor Gary McKeown has called for the return of the statue.

“I cannot understand why anyone would want to steal this statue from the front of Ormeau Library,” he said.

“Designed by the renowned artist Daniela Balmaverde, it has stood at the front of the library for a number of years and will be a familiar sight to those who use the library and everyone who walks by it on a daily basis.

“This is a fantastic piece of art that we are lucky to have in the heart of our local community, so it’s really disappointing that someone has chosen to take it.

“I would urge anyone who saw anything suspicious or knows anything about this theft, or has any CCTV from the area around the time it was stolen, to contact the police.”