Businessman calls for action after youths storm Coffs KTM shop, hoon about streets on hotted up motorcycles
A prominent Coffs Harbour businessman has called for government intervention after his motorbike shop was repeatedly targeted in a costly juvenile crime spree.
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Coffs KTM motorcycle shop owner Ashley Beaton has had enough after light-fingered fleet-footed kiddie crims stormed his shop for the third time in the space of weeks.
Youngsters have been caught by store security cameras wreaking havoc at the dealership in the dead of night.
They have gained entry by smashing a large shopfront glass panel – worth almost $4000.
“The footage is hard to watch – they clearly have no respect for property or the law,” Mr Beaton said.
“They have kicked over and damaged more than $150,000 worth of motorcycles (which are chained together) to try and get to ones they can wheel away.”
The first raid was at Easter, when intruders made off with two bikes.
Mr Beaton said with the help of Advanced Coast Security and police, they recovered one of the bikes “which fell off the back of a stolen ute in Orlando St”.
Another bike, a 2021 KTM 350XCF, was still missing as of Tuesday and had been spotted many times “riding around in the Toormina industrial area on Newcastle Dr”.
Just a couples of weeks later, the business was hit again.
However, the racket of people trying to break through the shopfront glass woke a man sleeping in his truck nearby. The raiders fled when he switched on the vehicle’s lights.
The next raid, the third on the shop, resulted in a third motorbike being snatched.
“We got it back the next day. They’d already spray-painted some guards black,” Mr Beaton said.
“A couple of switched on business owners in Marcia St spotted a man pushing it up the road trying to start it and they knew something wasn’t quite right.
“They tried to apprehend him but he dropped the bike and fled into nearby Prince James Ave.”
Mr Beaton said each break-in was reported to police, but he had taken to Facebook to detail the situation, seek help and warn others.
“We believe with the help of the community we should be able to track down those responsible,” he wrote.
“We encourage anyone who knows anything to please contact the Coffs Harbour police, they have been very helpful and want to see these thieves caught as much as we do.”
“We’ve taken extra security measures; more than we thought we would need in our town.”
Mr Beaton said the repeated raids caused untold grief.
“What these thieves need to understand is that the bikes they damage and have stolen from us are one thing. The expense to our family and our business is another,” he said.
“We are doing our best to try and keep our doors open and locals employed, and incidents like this take us away from that – it’s very frustrating.”
Mr Beaton said the offenders appeared to be aged between 12 and 18 – and strike in groups of two or three.
“There’s quite a little gang getting around,” he said.
Mr Beaton said the community was overwhelmingly supportive following his social media posts.
“What I’d like to see is federal and state government action,” he said.
“At the moment if these people are caught there’s no real ramifications.
“If they are found to be receiving some sort of government assistance then that money should instead go to the victims.”
Mr Beaton said two of the three raids took place about 2am.
“The question has to be asked what are their parents doing, what are their carers doing? What are they doing to keep these kids under control?” he said.
Know more? Phone Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Originally published as Businessman calls for action after youths storm Coffs KTM shop, hoon about streets on hotted up motorcycles
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