Shop owner’s call to step up CCTV on York Street strip

A York Street shop owner says she has had enough of “violence, vandalism and vomit” in Albany’s CBD and believes more CCTV cameras could be the answer to curbing incidents on the main drag. Blush Retail Gallery owner Angie Fryer-Smith arrived at her shopfront on a Saturday morning late last month to discover her three-week-old fence had been broken overnight. From cleaning up vomit, urine, faeces, smashed glass, graffiti and having her garden set alight, Ms Fryer-Smith claims her business has copped a long and expensive list of damage by drunken patrons. She said the latest incident had been the final straw. “We have been constantly improving our property and have helped to make the streetscape a more beautiful place to want to visit and enjoy,” she said. “Almost every time we spend time and money putting in improvements, we get vandalised. “Every time we have to clean up the mess, deal with insurance companies, and spend time and money to fix up what was destroyed and to try and do this without disruption to our business.” Ms Fryer-Smith said during her 15 years of tenancy on York Street, she had experienced some sort of incident most weekends. She now plans to petition the City of Albany to have more CCTV cameras installed in the area to better protect businesses. “We want our customers, staff and tourists to feel safe and secure in our CBD,” she said. “With a proper linked-up CCTV system like most cities in the world, the police would be better able to prosecute, and it would also act as a deterrent to bad behaviour.” In 2017, there were 38 CCTV cameras across Albany, according to Albany Police. However, City of Albany chief executive Andrew Sharpe said there were multiple cameras covering York Street that were maintained and serviced by the City and accessible by police. “There are currently a number of CCTV cameras along York Street, particularly in high-traffic areas such as between Stirling Terrace and Peels Place, which has been identified as a hotspot within the City,” he said. “The City works closely with local police, who identify specific areas of concern within the City that attract violence and antisocial behaviour and need to be monitored closely with the ability to provide video evidence when needed.” Mr Sharpe said the City had installed plenty of CCTV cameras in the York Street precinct on the back of successful funding applications. “Should more eligible grant funding opportunities arise, the City will work with local police to put forward an application,” he said. He said the City did not attend criminal jobs or have authority to arrest citizens. “Matters of a criminal or antisocial nature are reported to local police and are dealt with under their professional advice and expertise,” he said. The Advertiser surveyed several neighbouring York Street businesses about their experiences. Most shop owners said they were accustomed to dealing with damage and mess left outside their shopfronts before opening for trade at the weekends. Clark’s Newsagency owner Greg Hopkins said staff regularly had to clean up outside the store. “Quite often, we will find vomit, urine, blood or broken glass out the front of the shop that we have to clean up before we operate, which is frustrating,” he said. “It’s not a good look for tourists, who are wandering around town.”