CCTV of a man allegedly stealing a shirt from Off Ya Tree, Civic. Photo: Supplied.
The doorbell outside McGlades Jewellers feels more like something you would expect at a warehouse or private office than one of Canberra’s oldest retail businesses.
But after years of rising antisocial behaviour around Garema Place, staff say it’s a necessity.
“We had to put a doorbell on our business after 86 years in business,” McGlades employee Michelle Dickerson told Region.
Located opposite the Petrie Plaza merry-go-round, the jewellery store now keeps its front door locked, buzzing customers in individually.
McGlades Jewellers moved from the Canberra Centre about seven years ago. Photo: James Coleman.
Ms Dickerson said the decision followed repeated harassment from a drug-affected man who frightened staff and customers.
“He was making hand gestures through the windows, he was coming in and harassing people, he would follow people out of the store and make them feel uncomfortable,” she said.
“We had to call the police, and we actually had to take a personal protection order out on the guy.”
The concerns come as a recent Civic safety audit identified the merry-go-round precinct as one of Canberra’s worst hotspots for antisocial behaviour.
The report, commissioned by the City Renewal Authority, recorded 612 incidents across Civic over 22 days, including public drinking, drug use, intimidation, vandalism and physical altercations.
The Canberra Business Chamber has also called for greater police presence in the city, while tempering sentiment by describing the city as “relatively safe”.
ACT Police Minister Dr Marisa Paterson accused the Opposition of “fear-mongering” in the Legislative Assembly this week, and said government service data shows the ACT is safer now than ever.
“Both walking alone during the day and walking alone at night, ACT residents report the highest rates of perceptions of safety,” she said.
“Our city is more safe than ever, and that is testament to the community services that work in our city day in and day out.”
The doorbell is now a must for McGlades Jewellers. Photo: James Coleman.
But Ms Dickerson isn’t feeling it.
“It definitely is more noticeable to me … There’s a lot more drug-affected people around.”
While she initially feared the doorbell would put customers off, the opposite has been true.
“I think it makes customers feel safe when they’re inside the store.”
Just around the corner in Petrie Plaza, staff at Off Ya Tree say police and ambulance callouts have become routine.
“We’re calling the police every few weeks, if not multiple times every few weeks,” Hannah, who asked not to use her surname, told Region.
Hannah and Slats (last names withheld) from Off Ya Tree are phoning the police at least “every few weeks”. Photo: James Coleman.
One recent incident unfolded minutes before closing time.
“This guy came in the other day, and it was like two minutes before we closed, and he’s just come in covered in blood, like no shirt, covered in blood, and taken a shirt … and just bolted out,” she said.
“I was literally standing there like, ‘What the f–k? What just happened?’”
Police later arrested the man nearby.
Hannah said it was far from an isolated incident.
“The day before, we had to call an ambulance for someone,” she said.
“Then there was a guy who was around with a knife. He came here a few times.”
ZeeCat worker Maryam only goes into Civic after dark with friends. Photo: James Coleman.
Across from the merry-go-round at toy and stationery store ZeeCat, worker Maryam said nights and weekends could become chaotic.
“Usually at night-time there are always people running around screaming, fighting,” she said.
“We had someone come into the store and start playing with the toys and riding the suitcases around the store. He was a grown man, definitely not right in the head.”
Maryam, who grew up in Canberra, said the city had changed noticeably over the years.
“Yeah, it’s way worse,” she said.
Asked whether she felt safe walking around Civic, she paused.
“Oh, not all the time.”
Ms Dickerson believes empty shopfronts and a lack of smaller businesses have contributed to the decline around Garema Place, as many have moved into the greater security of the Canberra Centre.
“The problems here have stemmed from the way the government has treated the tenancies in this section,” she said.
“About 15 years ago, they let a huge corporation acquire many of the buildings inside Garema Place and empty them of small businesses for the purpose of filling the Canberra Centre.
“So it’s left a lot of empty shop fronts. When you have empty shopfronts, that’s when you have crime gather.”
Michelle Dickerson says Garema Place is a missed opportunity. Photo: James Coleman.
She said the ACT Government needed to do more to revitalise the area and improve safety, particularly around the nearby bus interchange.
“We’re all incentivised to be on public transport, and that’s been a huge push by the government, but then they’re not making that area particularly safe,” she said.
Despite the challenges, business owners still believe Civic can recover.
Ms Dickerson described Garema Place as “the jewel in the crown of Canberra”, pointing to its trees, landscaping and public spaces.
“I’m hoping that with the opening of the new big hotel, that will be a signal for the gentrification of these shops,” she said.
“It’d be good to see small businesses like ours receive incentives, and then we’d have more of a group dynamic here … where you have more passing traffic. It would all help this crime problem.”