Spate of crimes in the Marina frustrate business owners

Several business owners who call the Cairns Marina home say that they are fed up with the crime wave causing chaos to their livelihood. Find out more.

Business owners who call the Cairns Marina home say they are fed up with a crime wave causing chaos to their livelihoods.

They say they have been victims to petty crimes and break-ins in the past few months with one popular café targeted just on Sunday.

Police confirmed they were called to Wharf One Cafe around 10.55pm following a report of a number of people in the area, possibly trying to break-in to the cafe.

Peter Crotty, owner of Wharf One Cafe on the Marina, said the offenders looked like they were aged between 8 and 10, based off security footage.

“Thankfully, they didn’t get into anything. We found out about it when one of them went into storage area of the cafe,” Mr Crotty said on Wednesday afternoon as he headed to Bunnings to get stronger security supplies.

Whar One cafe owner Peter Crotty has had his business broken into thrice in the last year. Picture: Nuno Avendano

“We have been broken into in the past – three times last year,” Mr Crotty said.

“Graffitied tables with the place completely damaged. I had to pay two and half thousand dollars in repairs. The roller door was damaged and couldn’t be used. In fact, one of the kids who booted the door, came into the cafe the next day and said to the manager “I was the one who booted that in the other day”.

According to Ivan Galic, owner of Coral Sea Dreaming Dive and Sail, the offenders wereoften after fuel and alcohol. In his case a bunch of kids got on to his boat and stole his car keys a couple of months ago.

“I was lucky to be on the boat at the time,” Mr Galic said.

“They didn’t get a chance to steal my car but I had to recode it. Breaking into boats is common but we have really well locked boats so that hasn’t happened to us yet.”

Kyle Walsh, manager of NQ Watersports, also felt that fuel was the main motive behind the crimes.

“We keep our boat keys and fuel secure with a padlock but about a month ago, our padlocks were cut off, grinded off,” Mr Walsh said. “The area might have been scoped.”

Leah Bartlett, admin manager at Dundees Waterfront, says it's a mix of minor inconveniences and more serious damages. Picture: Nuno Avendano

Leah Bartlett, admin manager at Dundees Restaurant on the Waterfront, said they had started asking customers to be careful with their belongings while dining after incidents of kids in bikes snatching handbags and scooting off.

“Minor things like cushions outside go missing when we are closed,” Ms Bartlett said. “Empty cash drawers from the registers, but also graffiti to the restaurants, damage to the seating, furniture thrown into the inlet, and kids in ride on push bikes taking handbags from customers."

Originally published as Spate of crimes in the Marina frustrate business owners