Harbour restaurant ‘sitting ducks’ for young burglars

HAD IT UP TO HERE: Soho Bar and Restaurant owners Mathew Downie and Samuel Kerr after the latest break-in. Soho has faced 13 break-ins in the last four months, all by underaged perpetrators. Picture by Liam Clayton

OWNERS of a Gisborne restaurant broken into 13 times in the past four months say enough is enough. Mathew Downie and Samuel Kerr took over Soho Bar and Restaurant in the inner harbour in the summer of 2013.

Until the end of July they never had any problems. Since then, they have dealt with 13 break-ins, all thought to be by minors.

Repairs have so far cost upwards of $10,000. On top of that more than 20 bottles of liquor have been stolen from behind the bar. Mr Downie says there have been 12 arrests so far.

“Some they have missed. Because they are underage, police cannot even put them in the cells. They know their rights and know nothing will really happen to them.”

Outside, Soho is blocked off by plastic walls, which offenders have sliced through then entered the bar through its front doors.

“We have had deadlocks installed, upgraded our lights and camera systems. We should not have to deal with this. We are just sitting ducks. It is all money we should not have to spend.”

Some of the young offenders were caught and restorative justice meetings set up through Child Youth and Family Services.

“Most parents do not even show up for the meetings. They do not care. One caregiver who did show up was an 80-year-old, a grandmother of one of the girls. I felt sorry for her . . . she cannot do anything.”

The girl in question began community service at Soho this week but was late for her first stint.

“We want to show them what we deal with on a daily basis . . . show them we are not bad people and teach them that what they are doing is wrong.”

Soho is located in front of the Kaiti Beach Road public walkway entrance.

“They come through there and break in, then they run back through the walkway. We have asked the council to install a gate that is locked at night.”

Similar precautions have been taken on other Gisborne District Council-owned land including Beacon Road Reserve carpark, which is locked at night to prevent entry.

Taking a tollThe property Soho is on is owned by Eastland Group. Property manager Emma Bourke says repeated break-ins and vandalism are taking a toll.

“This is really disruptive for us as the landlord. We’re trying to do all we can to offer quality premises for businesses. It’s even worse for two young businessmen just trying to make a profit.

“Matt and Sam work really long hours and are simply trying to offer great food and a pleasant evening environment.”

Eastland Group is investigating options to improve the area and make it less attractive to criminals.

“We’re looking at installing another camera on the Gisborne Crime Prevention Camera Trust’s network, as well how to most effectively increase the lighting in the area.”

All options were a considerable unbudgeted expenditure but Eastland Group was committed to discouraging continued criminal activity, she said.

A lot of other groups were trying to find solutions, including Gisborne police, CYFS, the council and Soho’s owners.

“We know who some of these kids are but unfortunately some of them cannot be held accountable for their actions because the legislation in place doesn’t allow for prosecution due to their young age,” she said.

Police have ramped up security in the area after an increase in crime, and arrested six juveniles following the break-in on Sunday night.

Senior Sergeant Maui Aben says five of them, aged 14 to 17, faced burglary charges and made an initial appearance in the youth court on Monday. The sixth, aged 13, was referred to youth aid.

Mr Downie said the offenders also turned a Steinlager tap on and poured more than 50 litres of product on to the floor.

“The police are sick of it and we are sick of it too.”