Adelaide shopkeepers ‘unsafe’ and ‘scared’ despite SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens labelling city one of the safest in Australia

Shopkeepers are being robbed, threatened and assaulted, throwing into doubt claims from the state’s top cop that Adelaide is one of the safest cities in the country.

Shopkeepers have told of being regularly robbed and being threatened with glass despite South Australia’s top cop insisting Adelaide is one of the country’s safest cities.

The CBD convenience store workers say they are regularly targeted and the victims of crimes including robbery, shoplifting and assault.

Abhishek Thakur, an employee at Smokoz convenience shop on Hindley St, said thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, food and drink had been stolen in recent months.

Mr Thakur, 27, said groups of teenagers often targeted the store on Friday and Saturday nights.

Convenience shop worker Abhishek Thakur said his business was “not safe”. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“My business is not safe,” Mr Thakur said.

Mr Thakur said he was often threated after telling would-be shoplifters to leave the store.

“We can’t do anything,” Mr Thakur said.

On Wednesday, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said Adelaide was one of the safest cities in Australia.

“I maintain as I always have maintained that Adelaide really is one of the safest cities in Australia,” he told FIVEaa.

“The issues we’ve had with antisocial behaviour do come and go and a lot of it is based on people from remote communities choosing not to go back and living rough on the streets,” he said.

“A lot of work has gone into dispersing that, we’ve found alternative locations for these people to seek refuge.

“We’ve had additional police working in the CBD, we obviously have the extended declared public precinct powers, which give us the power to move people on.”

Mr Thakur said recent robberies and physical altercations had left him feeling “unsafe” and “scared” to work at in the store at night.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said Adelaide was one of the country’s safest cities. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brenton Edwards

“Many people are drunk and come and ask for products for free,” he said.

Mr Thakur said when he tried to report incidents to police, he was forced to wait too long at the Hindley St police station.

He called for extra police resources to be allocated to the popular party strip.

In June, extra police resources were deployed in the CBD after a spike in city crime and antisocial behaviour.

As part of the crackdown, an expanded “Declared Public Precinct” was announced, targeting trouble areas including Parliament House, Convention Centre, Adelaide Railway Station, Elder Park, Government House, War Memorial, Adelaide University, Torrens Parade Ground and War Memorial.

Mr Stevens said he had spoken to traders in the CBD who told him that extra measures had made a noticeable difference.

“I think things are going pretty well in the city but I still maintain it’s always been a safe place,” he said.

The manager of another CBD convenience store, who asked not be named, said he had been threated with glass and had to “wrestle” with shoplifters.

He said shoplifitng was common in the store but “didn’t bother” to report the incidents to police because the alleged offenders had often fled before officers arrived.

Extra police resources were diverted to the CBD amid a spike in crime and antisocial behaviour. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Kelly Barnes

A home invasion victim in Adelaide’s inner north, who asked to remain anonymous, said she disagreed with Mr Stevens’ comments.

“I would like him to go out and observe how many are treated,” she said.

“He clearly hasn’t gone out recently.

“Every woman knows the fear when they think ‘oh my god what do I have in my bag to protect myself, why is that man following me’,” she said.

“People on drugs are the ones who scare me the most.

“You just never know how they will react.