Owner Gina Sozzi fed up after Bicaro’s Ristorante burgled for third time in a month

A restaurant owner is hoping to band together fellow small business operators and unite against crime after her beloved restaurant was burgled for the third time in a matter of weeks.

Gina Sozzi at her beloved Bicaro’s Ristorante, which has been burgled three times in the past month. Picture: Oscar Jaeger

The owner of a Shepparton restaurant that has been broken into three times in the past month says small business owners have “had enough” with crime in the town.

Bicaro’s Ristorante has been broken into in numerous ways over the past month, with owner Gina Sozzi fed up after another burglary in the early hours of May 16.

Ms Sozzi believes the attacks are likely linked and targeted, as nothing was stolen in the initial break-in.

“They didn’t take anything,” she said.

During the second break-in the restaurant’s front door was smashed in and three bottles of spirits taken.

In the most recent incident “two fridges and a freezer (were) cleared out” with scales, knives, frying pans and even tea towels and takeaway containers “bagged up” and put into the restaurant’s wheelie bins before being wheeled away from the premises.

Gina Sozzi says small business owners are fed up with crime in Shepparton. Picture: Oscar Jaeger

The offenders then took a bottle of Wild Turkey from the bar which set off the alarm.

Ms Sozzi said she received a call at 6.39am from security alerting her of the break-in.

Later that day at roughly 1.30pm, witnesses saw two men with wheelie bins, before Ms Sozzi noticed that one of the bins from the restaurant was leaning up against a property near the restaurant.

Some of the stock which was taken from Bicaro’s Ristorante that fell out of the wheelie bins. Picture: Supplied

They have been able to recover most of the stock as it was still sealed and untouched, with Ms Sozzi wondering if the crooks had been “spooked” by the alarm that set off.

In 10 years running the restaurant, Ms Sozzi said they had only been broken into once before this recent spate.

“We’ve been so fortunate,” she said.

She is incredibly concerned with crime in the area, saying she received a call from the owner of Sportspower, Gary Harvey, who told her he was fed up as well after his store had been broken into a number of times.

“We’ve had enough … It’s homes as well, how safe do people feel?” she said.

Ms Sozzi believes it may be up to small business owners to do something, and intends to speak to Nationals MP Kim O’Keeffe as well as begin a petition regarding repeat offenders who continue to get bail.

“The excuses have got to stop … It would be nice to come to work without having a phone call at 2am saying your alarm has gone off,” she said.

While Ms Sozzi admits the burglaries could have been worse from a monetary point of view, she says “it’s still damage” and if it continues to happen “what is the point of being open”.

Owner Gina Sozzi wants to start a petition after her Shepparton restaurant was broken into for the third time in a month. Picture: Oscar Jaeger

The break-in comes after clothing store Ozmosis was robbed of around $15,000 worth of clothes, sunglasses and watches on May 15.

Police are continuing to investigate the break-in at Bicaro’s.

Anyone who saw anything or has CCTV or dashcam footage, is asked to contact Shepparton police on 5820 5777.