Locals call for 'harsher penalties' as Aussie town under siege: 'Always on my mind'
A Cairns business owners says youth crime is plaguing her thoughts after her shop was hit for a fifth time. And it's front and centre in Queensland's election.
A Queensland business owner says she has been forced to consider calling it quits after her hair salon was broken into this week for a fifth time in less than a year as youth crime continues to run rampant in parts of the state.
Ashleigh Anderson, 30, was woken in the early hours of Tuesday morning by a phone call from the police who explained her business Zazu Hair Salon in Cairns had been targeted by a group of three youngsters.
"They used a shopping trolley to basically just smash the window and then they broke in, went through everything and stole a few things," she lamented to Yahoo News.
The offenders stole $300 of goods which included hair products and a pair of straighteners, however the cost of the stolen items pales in comparison to the $1,000 Anderson will now need to cough up to repair the damage to her salon.
"It wasn't even anything that would have been worth breaking in for... this is my fifth window replacement this year and they all cost the same, I'm the one left liable for it," she said.
Business owners fear they won't be able to 'keep doors open'
Alongside the multiple break-ins, Anderson claims she has been robbed and is "constantly harassed by kids" with an offender even threatening to stab a staff member.
"I'm pretty used to it now, but it's just mentally draining. I'm not sure how long I can keep my doors open if this keeps happening," she said. A neighbouring nail salon was also recently broken into as well as a waterfront restaurant where cash was stolen and offenders took off with knives, The Cairns Post reported.
The ongoing youth crime rates in Cairns have not only impacted Anderson's professional life but seeped into her every thought, she said.
"I'm a single mum, and I work hard to make sure we survive. But every night I go to bed and I think in my head, it's either my house going to be broken into or my shop. I hate having to think like that every day, it's always on my mind."
Earlier this year, Queensland Police assembled a taskforce to crack down on youth crime in Cairns, as well as in Townsville and Brisbane South. In a one week period in Cairns, 30 people were arrested including 28 young people on 94 charges.
Youth crime is major focus in upcoming state election
The Queensland state election will be held on October 26 and youth crime has been heavily featured as political parties fight for votes.
The Liberal National Party (LNP) has been forthright in its 'adult time for adult crime' approach to tackling youth crime, meaning if the party wins and takes over power from Labor, adult sentences will be given to youth offenders, rather than the age of the offender being taken into consideration as a mitigating factor.
Related: Youth crime policy backlash fails to deter LNP leader
LNP leader David Crisafulli claims he will make Queensland safer within 100 days if he is elected, saying he is committed to the benchmark that victim numbers will be lower under his potential government. Incumbent Premier Steven Miles claims there is little substance to the opposition's stated plan.
Either way, those within the community are screaming for action, Anderson told Yahoo.
"I think there needs to be harsher penalties for kids and people under 18 or under 16 even... everyone's really annoyed, but nothing gets done about it," she said.
"Like our government really need to acknowledge that there's a problem, and I just feel like they refuse to do that, and everyone is sick of it."
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
