'We’re so used to it we just cop it': CBD business owner

A  business owner says Nambour CBD police patrols were needed to help quell crime and anti-social behaviour that had reached a level in some parts of town that businesses were growing accustomed to it.

The person, who did not want to be named,  in case she or her business was targeted said an incident last week highlighted the issue for her.

“That (incident) was a bit more aggressive than usual, I guess, but it's not uncommon. You see yelling and screaming every day from the same groups. We do get outsiders coming in to town as well. The guy (who behaved aggressively), he was there last night again, but he didn’t cause a problem. So it’s unpredictable.  It just depends on what (alcohol or drugs) they've had during the day, I guess.

“But I know that person now. Even though I've seen him many times that was our first run-in and now I have feelings against him. So I don't trust him. I don't want to be around him. I don't know what he’s capable of. We go out to our cars at night, after dark, so you don't know who's hanging around.”

The business owner said foot patrols or a Police Beat presence in town would make a difference.

“I know they've done that big, flash new police station, but that doesn't make much difference to us down here.  

“I know it's never going to happen, but a Police Beat in one of the little empty shops in town, is what we need. They should have some sort of coverage where someone is walking that perimeter every hour or so. Then they will no longer be able to just sit and drink because they’ll risk being fined.

“At the moment, by the time we call the police, they're gone anyway or something's changed. There could be 20 people doing something, and then there's none. So it's hard to clamp down on.”

Yelling and screaming pretty much every day

The shop owner said unnerving yelling and screaming or something intimidating happened on a near daily basis. 

“At some point in the day, every day for sure. Obviously, more so in the afternoon because that's when they've been up and drinking for a while or whatever. And the behaviour that we see is not just alcohol. It's drugs. It's all of it.”

She said it was wrong that businesses in town were actually becoming accustomed to behaviour that might be quite shocking to the average person. 

“We're used to it because we laugh it off and go, ‘Oh, it's Nambour’. But, realistically, it's not funny. It's only bearable because you have no choice. We have to get used to it because nothing's being done. If this (situation) happened all of a sudden, it'd be a massive, huge shock. But we're so used to it that you just cop it.”

She said she thought there had been a surge in criminal and anti-social behaviour lately.

“Yes, definitely, to the point where businesses have come together and we’re  trying to raise money for all the businesses that've been broken into.”

She said she couldn’t explain official Queensland Police crime stats which indicated a decrease in crime in Nambour since 2018. 

“All I see is what I see every day, and it doesn't seem to be getting any less to me,” she said. “I don't know what they'd call crime. There's definitely a lot going on now. I know I've got a couple of friends with businesses who've been broken into.”

In response to safety concerns Reimagine Nambour recently launched an online “Petition for a Safer Town”  seeking State Government action to quell drug and alcohol abuse, in-street violence, youth crime, vagrancy and menacing behaviour in Nambour (sign the petition at www.facebook.com/iamnambour). 

Renowned lawyer and Reimagine Nambour Chairman Peter Boyce remains determined to keep the issue of CBD safety high on the radar of authorities.