Teen caught on camera setting a fire at Dundees on the Waterfront

A frustrated Cairns restaurateur has called for action on youth crime after his waterfront venue was targeted by a group of teens who allegedly started a fire using flammable liquid.

A Cairns restaurateur tired of cleaning up his two city venues has called for action on youth crime after a waterfront venue was targeted by a group of teens who allegedly started a fire using flammable hand sanitising liquid.

At about 4am on Tuesday CCTV footage showed four youths entering the alfresco area of Dundees on the Waterfront restaurant before rummaging through drawers and scattering documents all over the floor.

CCTV still showing alleged offenders inside the Dundees on the Waterfront restaurant. Picture: Supplied

One youth then grabs a bottle of hand sanitiser, squirts the liquid onto a table and ignites it. The fire takes off when the liquid is swiped onto a foam cushion at which point one girl panics and swats the fire out.

Dundees proprietor Gary Low said the Dundees at the Cairns Aquarium restaurant had been hit 11 times in significant acts of theft and vandalism.

“This is a weekly occurrence, it’s not just a one off,” he said.

Dundee's proprietor Gary Low has his waterfront venue trashed and set alight on Monday night, allegedly by a group of teens. Picture: Peter Carruthers

Mr Low said offenders hassling guests on the boardwalk, snatching phones from diners, defacing tables, stealing cushions and throwing furniture into the inlet was common.

However recently the situation escalated when one boy pulled a knife.

“It’s getting serious, so something’s going to break. And what it is that’s going to break I don’t really don’t know but they need to do something,” he said.

And Dundees is not alone.

Fire damage to soft furnishings at Dundees on the Waterfront. Picture: Peter Carruthers

In January Wharf ONE Cafe owner Peter Crotty shelled out thousands to repair a roller door damaged by would-be thieves and clean graffiti from tables.

And since then dozens of businesses throughout the CBD have been hit by thieves smashing into glass fronted shops.

The worst hit was iScream Desserts which was forced to close for weeks following a total ransacking of the Aplin St shop in April.

In March the Palaszczuk government cracked down on the growing problem of youth crime by creating a new aggravating factor for alleged car thieves who post footage of their offending on social media, and breach of bail was introduced as an offence.

One teen used hand sanitiser to set a fire on a table of the restaurant. Picture: Supplied

However on Tuesday Opposition justice spokesman Tim Nicholls claimed a Palaszczuk government fail on reducing youth crime rates.

“Seven years ago today, the Palaszczuk Labor Government watered-down Queensland’s crime laws by amending the Youth Justice Act,” he said.

“Seven years ago today, they gave rise to a generation of untouchables.

Police confirmed a report had been made at 7.55am however no further details were available.

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Originally published as Teen caught on camera setting a fire at Dundees on the Waterfront