Local businesses have been rocked by a string of vandalism attacks in the aftermath of Christmas.
A number of businesses have had swear words scratched into their windows.
Candice Stephens and Debra Stephens of Kandi’s Floral Designs both had Nazi swastikas scratched on their windows and said that they felt helpless in the face of seemingly regular vandalism.
They hoped they might be able to get a few businesses in the town together to do something about the problem.
But they were not critical of the police.
“We know police are doing their job,” they said.
“Can they do more? We do not know if they can.”
One of the worst hit businesses was Merlins of Port Pirie, where $6000 damage was done to windows and $4000 worth of goods, including a number of “Final Fantasy” swords, were stolen.
Owner Leisl Brown said her window had been smashed on December 27.
She has not yet being able to replace the glass, and worried that the shop’s appearance was impacting her trade.
She questioned whether the cameras were working and whether they were being taped.
“What if an offender comes in and attacks my staff?” she asked.
“We have large council rates. I want to know if we are getting what we are paying for.”
Mensland owner Mick Tattoli also wanted to know whether the security cameras on Ellen Street were working.
A number of his windows have been scratched, and he said police had caught people who had attempted to climb onto his roof.
The proprietor at Second Skin Clothing has taken the problem into her own hands by installing her own security camera after a front window was smashed.
Nadine Chivell said the new security camera had cost $600, but she was aware of other security systems that had cost up to $10,000.
Meanwhile, council spokesman Sal Lucivero said the cameras on the street were working, and had been installed and paid for by the council.
“When they are not working a service agent comes to repair them,” he said.
He said the monitoring side of things was done by SA Police.
Senior Sergeant Gerry Nicholson said the incidents were still being investigated.
He defended the police’s role in monitoring security cameras and said the cameras were only one of many ways they investigate crime.
He said the cameras were used to help them catch offenders of all types and added that they were not static.
“They are moveable, so they can pick up a much wider area than one area in the street,” he said.
But he said old-fashioned eyeballs could be just as helpful in preventing vandalism.
“Help from members of the public may assist,” he said.
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