Overnight call outs for window repairs overwhelming Alice Springs glaziers

Alice Springs’ two biggest glaziers have become so overwhelmed with after-hours call outs for window repairs that they have started turning away customers amid a spike in break-ins.

ALICE Springs’ two biggest glaziers have become so overwhelmed with requests for window repairs that they have begun limiting after-hours call outs or scrapping them altogether.

Commercial and residential break-ins have surged in Alice Springs in the last year, with the latest NT Police statistics showing a 40.2 per cent spike in property crime over the 12 months ending January.

In a letter to the community, Neata Glass and Aluminium manager Paul Cilka on Wednesday announced that after 50 years, the company had scrapped its 24-hour emergency call out service, with the exception of “key clients”.

“We only have a limited amount of staff,” Mr Cilka said.

“Your blokes work all day, especially in the summer … then we’re using the same men to do after hours work.

“When they get called out in the middle of the night … the minimum turnaround is two or three hours, and then they go home and then they get another call. It’s just overwhelming.”

Mr Cilka said the costs associated with the call outs meant the 24-hour service was not viable and was taking staff away from the company’s project-based work.

He said the late-night repairs were also becoming more dangerous for his staff.

“They’re down on the main street, they’re surrounded by 10, 15 or 20 youths … (who are) scouring the truck for whatever they can take,” Mr Cilka said.

“It’s just become a sport with (the youths). Then the (staffer) will leave and then they’ll break the same window just out of spite.

“The social problem has been become my problem, so I just said, ‘We’re not doing it’.”

GGS Alice Glass and Aluminium arrived at a similar conclusion on the same day, announcing a $200 price increase for after hours call outs due to the impact it was having on “business productivity”.

“This has been a build up,” said managing director Andrew Pinto.

Andrew Pinto say his glass repair business has become overwhelmed with call outs due to break ins and vandalism. Picture: CHRISTINE ANSORGE

“For me to try and deter people from calling us, we put the price up. And now, instead of paying my employee $200 a call out, I’m going to pay him $400 a call out so that he has an incentive to get out of bed and we can continue to provide that service.

Mr Pinto said over the last two years, the call outs had begun “consuming day-to-day operations”. He added that he was beciming increasingly worried about potential workplace accidents caused by tired staff members.

Pressure has been growing on the NT and federal governments to take more drastic action to tackle the growing crime crisis after Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson issued a letter in January to dozens of politicians crying out for help.

CLP MLA Josh Burgoyne said the reduction in service was another example of Territorians being “punished” for the NT government’s failure to act on crime.

“Not only are businesses having to limit the services they can provide to a community under siege from crime, but Territorians are having to fork out more to replace windows smashed by criminals,” the Member for Braitling said.

“Territorians already have shockingly high cost of living pressures because of Michael Gunner’s economic mismanagement, and this is just an added expense to mop up the Gunner Labor government’s crime mess.

“Territorians should send their $600 call out fee to the Gunner Labor Government to pay.”

Responding to a “horror weekend for crime in Alice Springs” earlier this month, NT Police commenced Operation Thayer, a seven-day boost to resources to crack down on crime hot spots.