Gouger St traders fed up with escalating crime as 11-year-old arrested in connection with latest break in

Traders on Gouger St are fed up with escalating crime on the popular restaurant strip, saying anti-social behaviour is on the rise with businesses frequently targeted.

Traders on Gouger St are fed up with escalating youth crime with anti-social behaviour on the rise and businesses frequently targeted and robbed.

Workers say groups of people, including children, were targeting businesses, vandalising street fronts, stealing liquor and groups could be found drinking in the street.

Gaucho’s Argentinian Eatery was the latest Gouger St restaurant to be targeted with a window smashed and liquor stolen early on Sunday morning.

About 4am on September 1, police responded to reports of a break-in at Gaucho’s Argentinian Eatery after a window was smashed and liquor stolen.

Alex Perez, manager of the Talbot Hotel, said theft had been on the rise along Gouger St while anti-social behaviour was common. Picture: Dylan Hogarth

Police later arrested a 33-year-old man from Ingle Farm and two boys – a 13-year-old boy from Ottoway and an 11-year-old from Ingle Farm.

A Gouger St hotel manager, Alex Perez, of the Talbot Hotel, said theft had been on the rise on the street while anti-social behaviour was common.

Mr Perez said a recent incident saw teens he described as young as 15 smashing ashtrays and throwing footwear in the street.

He said people walking the street would often yell and act aggressively.

The veteran hotel manager of 17 years, said he had regular dealings with police and paid tribute to their swift response to incidents, but said more police were needed to stop the behaviour.

“Like everyone, I think they are short staffed,” he said.

Gaucho’s is the latest Gouger St restaurant to be targeted early on Sunday morning. Picture: Supplied

An employee of a neighbouring Chinese restaurant said Sunday morning’s break-in came as no surprise as she often saw broken windows and heard of break-ins on the popular restaurant strip.

The waitress said she had worked on the street for four years and had to call the police multiple times to report violent and anti-social behaviour.

The employee said groups gathered and would “drink and smoke” in the restaurant’s outdoor dining area and would sometimes get violent.

“There was one incident where at dinner time (a person) came into our restaurant and they were wielding a rock, waving it around,” she said.

“It’s crazy … sometimes they’ll throw chairs onto the street.

“There was a time the manager was attending to customers outside and a very aggressive person approached … I was worried she would be assaulted.

“Gouger St in general has been pretty unsafe these days, I don’t feel safe leaving work.”

Another worker at a Gouger St restaurant told The Advertiser youths would walk in as they were trading and steal bottles of alcohol.

She said it had happened a number of times recently and police were called.

The trio arrested after Sunday’s incident were caught after police viewed CCTV and obtained images of who they believe to be the three suspects.

Police attended Whitmore Square where they located three people of similar appearance in possession of bottles of spirits which police will allege were stolen from the restaurant.

All three were charged with serious criminal trespass and theft.

The man did not apply for bail, the two youths were bailed to appear in the Adelaide Youth Court on Thursday, October 17.

Originally published as Gouger St traders fed up with escalating crime as 11-year-old arrested in connection with latest break in