Gilberton woman, Mitchel Park woman charged over North Tce brawl

Two women have been arrested and charged over a violent incident on North Tce that’s sparked even more pleas from besieged business owners to police.

Just before 6am, police were called to a convenience store after reports of a violent incident which left one woman hospitalised and two others arrested. Picture: Riley Walter

Business owners in Adelaide’s CBD have been left feeling “unsafe” after a violent incident left one woman hospitalised and two others arrested.

Just before 6am, police were called to a convenience store after reports of a disturbance.

An area of North Tce, which has seen a sharp spike in crime and anti-social behaviour in recent weeks, and Bank St were taped off and a crime scene was established.

About 6.50am, a woman was heard shouting “I never stabbed my baby sister” as she was taken into custody.

Police said a woman had suffered cut wounds to her hands and face and that all three people involved in the incident were known to each other.

Police said a 27-year-old Gilberton woman and a 30-year-old Mitchell Park woman were arrested and charged on Thursday.

The 27-year-old woman was charged with aggravated assault and aggravated affray and bailed to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The 30-year-old woman was charged with carry offensive weapon and aggravated affray.

She was bailed to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on August 17.

A weapon, alleged to have been used in the fight, was seized by police.

Inside Adelaide Convenience, where the fight was believed to have started, food items had been pulled from shelves and a fridge door was smashed after a coffee jar was thrown through it.

Inside Adelaide Convenience, where the fight was believed to have started. Picture: Riley Walter

Adelaide CBD business owners have been left feeling “unsafe” after a fight broke out in a North Tce convenience store on Thursday morning. Picture: Riley Walter

Helen Carpentieri, owner of Toast Cafe on Bank Street, says crime and anti-social behaviour on North Tce “is getting worse”. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Toast Cafe owner Helen Carpentieri said crime and anti-social behaviour on North Tce and Bank St was the worst she had seen in 17 years.

“There’s a lot more,” Ms Carpentieri said.

“It is getting worse and even stopping here in the morning it is quite scary because you’ve always got to keep an eye out on what’s going on because there’s a lot of screaming and a lot of groups hanging around on the corner and a lot of fights and it is quite scary as a business owner as well because you don’t know whether they’re going to come in here and what’s going to happen.

“There are a lot of groups, a lot of fighting.”

Ms Carpentieri said the incident was “not uncommon” but “frightening”.

“It was frightening, it really was,” she said.

“You don’t know whether something like that’s going to happen to yourself as well because there are a lot of people around here that are drug-fuelled.”

Ms Carpentieri said called for a heavier police presence in the mornings and afternoon, when she said incidents most frequently occurred.

She said she no longer feels safe coming to work alone.

“I try and keep in areas where there’s foot traffic and if I do see anything I tend to just avoid it or drive around and not open the doors,” she said.

Simran Bachhal, whose family owns Bonobo Espresso, says she never walks alone from the car park to the cafe. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Simran Bachhal, whose family owns Bonobo Espresso, said she didn’t feel safe going to work.

“It’s an every day thing that happens here,” she said of the escaping crime and antisocial behaviour.

“We are so used to it…somebody will hit someone or somebody’s getting stabbed.

“I feel unsafe. I never walk alone.

“I never walk alone from the (car) parking to the cafe, that’s how unsafe I feel.

“I feel so unsafe, especially being a woman.

“It’s just so unsafe.”

Ms Bachhal said the spike in crime was driving customers away.

“They hesitate to even walk in,” she said.

“We have less walk-ins, people are afraid of just coming to Bank Street.

“(It’s) not just our business.

“Business on Hindley, Leigh Street, Bank Street, in particular, there’s less walk-ins and business suffers all the time.”

Ms Bachhal also called for a heavier police presence in the area.

“Everybody thinks it’s safe but it’s not,” she said.

“It’s so dark in here, it’s so hard to even walk alone on the street.

Ms Bachhal welcomed Wednesday’s announcement that more police would be allocated to the area.

Increased resources will include extra mobile and foot patrols, as well as Mounted Operations.

The area around Parliament and Adelaide Railway Station is ground zero for anti-social behaviour, city workers say. Picture: Brenton Edwards

This comes as SA Police announced that they will be deploying extra officers to North Tce, Adelaide, in a bid to crackdown on rising city crime and anti-social behaviour.

Operation Paragon resources will increase to include district police and Licensing Enforcement, State Operations Support branches, Road Policing Section, Mount Operation Unit, and heavily armed Security Response Section.

Police said the “high priority” operation will use CCTV cameras to “identify issues and to identify people post offending for evidentiary value.

Originally published as Gilberton woman, Mitchel Park woman charged over North Tce brawl