Huntly crime ruining shops

Crime is pushing some Huntly businesses to breaking point, with one retailer threatening to shut up shop and move after being burgled or vandalised close to 40 times in recent years.

One retailer described Huntly as a "dead-beat town" while another told the Waikato Times their insurance company has said if they made one more claim it would not be able to afford to cover them any more.

The retailer said they brought about $2 million a year into the town and were ready to leave if they could find somewhere else to go.

Business owners met Waikato MP Lindsay Tisch last Thursday to express their concerns over the increase of petty crime, giving him a detailed list of losses and damaged suffered.

"We are all just sick of it," Huntly Wild Game owner Deidre Field, who organised the meeting, told the Waikato Times .

"Every shop in town has been touched. It's rampant."

But Huntly Community Board chairman Frank McInally, who is a strong advocate for the installation of security cameras, yesterday told the Times that most retailers were "their own worst enemies".

"They won't put their hand in their own pockets to contribute towards the cameras," he said.

"You hit them up for $1000 each for cameras and they don't want to know about. But they're happy to talk about increased insurance premiums. "They talk a lot, but will do absolutely nothing off their own bat."

Retailers in Huntly spoken to by the Times yesterday reiterated Ms Field's concerns.

Colourplus owner Peter Song said just last month they were broken into three times in one week.

Mr Song said it cost about $1000 to replace the window each time it was broken during a burglary – $3000 to replace a large window smashed last year.

"$1000 is not big enough to claim insurance, so we just pay out of our pocket. But it's been a tough year (financially) so it's not good when you have to keep paying for broken windows."

Mr Song said installing security cameras in Main St, which could then be monitored by the police, would help reduce the amount of vandalism.

He was prepared to put money toward the cost, but said the council should also contribute.

Last night Mr McInally told the town's community board he was trying to get "outside funding" for six cameras.

The Essex Arms manager Gale Mackay supported security cameras, but said it wouldn't stop offending completely.

The tavern was broken into twice recently despite their premises being equipped with cameras and an alarm.

What is the solution to Huntly's crime?

- © Fairfax NZ News