Youth ramraids ‘fun’ for brazen criminals
Halswell business owners are desperate for youths who smashed their way into their businesses to be stopped, after more ramraids in the past week.
Following four recent attacks on the On the Spot dairy in Hamill Rd, the Long Knight bar in the same block was ramraided on Wednesday. Then the Indian Roots restaurant alongside was hit at the weekend.
All the businesses are in a small block of shops in the Longhurst residential subdivision.
Indian Roots owner Ron Bhogal said the burglars had driven into the glass front doors and staged the raid just before 4am on Saturday.
The three raiders stole the cash drawer from the till, complete with a day’s takings, and most of the eatery’s liquor supply, dropping and shattering more bottles as they ran.
Despite a security guard spending ‘‘half-an-hour’’ on the phone to police, no officers came until the day shift arrived several hours later, Bhogal said. His security cameras captured the break-in.
‘‘I had the number plate and everything straight away. Anyone coming at that time could’ve found the car and caught them.’’
The car, which was reported stolen, was found later in the day in nearby Wigram.
The security camera footage shows the thieves driving three times into the doors. Once inside the hooded young men jumped the counter, one carrying a tyre iron. They wore masks and gloves.
‘‘It was pretty clear what had happened.’’
A police spokesperson said inquiries ‘‘were under way to determine the circumstances’’ of the burglary.
The On the Spot dairy remains boarded up with plywood after the repeated burglaries there.
Long Knight bar and restaurant owner Dryden Thomson said his bar was broken into about 4am on Wednesday.
The young offenders had a vehicle but smashed through a window with the hammer. The premises have concrete barriers in front of the windows.
Inside, two young men jumped the bar and stole bottles of liquor while a third person filmed them. ‘‘It’s not a need. They are doing it just to show off for whoever was videoing, them. They are doing it for fun,’’ Thomson said.
His security video was ‘‘just the same’’ as the one from Indian Roots, he said.
The police had come quickly and were helpful, but he sensed they were frustrated, Thomson said. ‘‘They can’t really do a lot. Nothing really happens to the people doing it anyway after it gets past the police. It’s just frustrating.’’
Thomson said he was worried the raids could escalate to daytime ones.
‘‘I don’t want my staff feeling unsafe working there. The businesses can’t afford the sort of money they’re losing.
‘‘The community has had enough too, with a lot of cars being stolen.’’
Bhogal said their smash-and-grab was very stressful especially for his wife, who co-owns the business and is pregnant with baby due soon. The couple understood someone had reported the possible names of the burglars to police.
They have owned the restaurant for a year and he said they wished more could be done to stop break-ins.
‘‘The impression we got was because it was young kids they [police] can’t take it much further. They seem to be able to do what they want. There needs to be something to stop them.’’
Another dairy in Halswell was ramraided in August.
‘‘I had the number plate and everything straight away. Anyone coming at that time could’ve found the car and caught them.’’
Ron Bhogal Indian Roots owner