Peter Carr
While meeting with good friends in a coffee shop over the weekend we discussed the growing spate of burglaries – many of which are directed at suburban dairies. We discussed the CCTV footage that shows mainly hooded younger people intent on stealing cash (sorry all gone earlier) and cigarettes.
Now there are several issues here but the link between younger people and very expensive cigarettes appears to me to be paramount. But what is it that drives teenagers (and sometimes pre-teen) to steal an innocent citizen’s vehicle and use it in an abusive way – to not only damage the car but to create extensive structural cost to the retail premises, and thus, drive up insurance premiums?
Imagine if you will an earnest – and often Indian – dairy owner who works extremely long hours to support his family. Often from 6am through to 10pm, with brief meal breaks where his wife will take over. The Indian community are not fearful of hard work in order to live and better themselves. They appear to have inserted themselves in the dairy industry and, here in Cambridge, retail premises where liquor is the main product on the shelves.
Why is it that, in an industry with very thin profits, they must arm themselves with baseball bats, fog canons and ugly metal posts outside the shop? Why is it that they must risk life and limb to face incursions – even in broad daylight? And why is it that the offenders are driven to this desperation?
While cigarettes and booze are major attractions to these invaders what is happening back in their homes, especially where dad, grandad and even great-grandad may never known the luxury of permanent employment. The household suffers, and the largesse of Work and Income swells disproportionately.
Which brings me to Work and Income. I do not envy the staff for they have a hard road to walk – continually besieged by people of low financial opportunity. And by young mothers where the male parent fails to front for his role in the matter. At the same time Work and Income tries hard to persuade out-of-work people to apply for jobs in order to reduce the financial toll.
Recently a well-respected Cambridge café owner interviewed people for two roles in her establishment. To the café owner’s horror, during an interview, the applicant’s phone rang twice, and she answered it – completely ignoring the meeting. She did not get the job (surprise) but then demanded that the café owner sign a piece of Work and Income paper to state that the applicant had applied. Sorry folks but we are surrounded by a mentality of free-loading and lack of desiring to earn a decent crust.
And where does that leave the hard-working dairy owner? He supplies a convenience establishment normally with many loyal supporting customers. If cigarettes are a big drawcard for the fledgling thieves perhaps my coffee pal’s suggestion that all nicotine sales should take place from a kiosk directly in front of the police station has merit.
