SINGLETON business owner Brook Dermody finds it disturbing three young boys brazenly entered her John Street restaurant last Friday morning – and attempted to take money from the till.
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“The boys didn’t seem to care”, she explained, even though two men were in the kitchen prepping for the day.
She suspects the boys should have been at school but admits the incident is “part of a bigger problem”.
That sentiment is backed by the June 2014 quarterly crime statistics, which reveal an increase in stealing from retail stores around Singleton.
Ms Dermody says because her restaurant, Two Naughty Chooks, is opened at night they have also seen a lot of “stupid crimes” occurring.
“One of our employees had her car window smashed, our toilets were broken into and lots of neighbouring businesses have been broken into,” she told The Argus.
“It is definitely happening more and we are wondering what is going on.
“Petty crime is definitely on the increase in John Street and around the whole town.
“Some of them may seem minor but we have been reporting them, otherwise the police won’t know about them.
“Sometimes this is hard as you get diverted to Muswellbrook or the phone rings out.”
Local police are doing what they can but we need more of a presence when it comes to dealing with this type of crime, she says.
On the same day, the manager of Singleton Florist claims one of the boys attempted to gain entry to the back of her shop.
“This is not the first time it has happened,” Casey said.
“But, this time it was different as they usually send a younger child into the front of the shop to lure us out from behind the counter.
“This is actually the fourth time and, on one occasion, I found someone in the back of the shop.
“I have been working here for five years and, in the past 12 months, there have been a lot of things like this happen.
“We have had cash and a camera stolen from out the back.
“The hairdresser’s next door had all their wallets and bags taken.”
However, a frustrated Casey feels like “nothing is being done” to resolve the situation and thinks a lack of police in the area is an issue.
Ms Dermody says from a business perspective more visible police in the area would be ideal as the perpetrators need to be caught red-handed.
“It would also act as a deterrent – like the way the many Highway Patrol vehicles, conducting random breath testing around Singleton, do when it comes to drink driving.”