The owner of a fish and chip shop raided by thieves has said the police aren’t doing enough to stop a spate of break-ins.
Thieves smashed a window at Oh My Cod on Burton Stone Lane overnight on Thursday.
They stole the till drawer. The same night someone forced a window at the nearby RB Barbers, again stealing the till.
That till was later found a short distance away and returned.
Owner of Oh My Cod, Haley Karacay, said everything was fine when they locked up on Thursday night. Then she got a phone call on Friday morning to say the shop had been broken into.
“When we got here, the window had a massive hole in it and they’d taken the full drawer from the till.”
Police have been to both Oh My Cod and RB Barbers and dusted them for fingerprints as part of their investigations. But Hayley fears the burglaries are part of a crime spree.
She said there has been a spate of break-ins to similar businesses in the area, including at the cafes Mrs Greedy’s on Burton Stone Lane and the Rose Café on Rose Street.
And Hayley says no one is being brought to justice for the crimes. “It seems to be that the police are arresting someone, and then there’s not enough evidence every single time,” she told YorkMix.
“It’s as though the people are getting away with it. So they’re doing it again because they’re not bothered.
“We said to the police – it’s a joke, you’re not going to do anything. If you find them, you’ll arrest them and let them go.”
Hayley took over at what was previously The Cod Father shortly before Christmas. “It’s hard work,” she said.
“The smashed window was only replaced about two months ago because it had a crack in it.”
She had this message for police: “Do your job properly. Don’t keep letting the people go when you’ve arrested them.
“If they put all the break-ins together, they would have enough evidence.”
She added: “It’s not fair, because we’re a small business. We don’t have the money to keep replacing windows and tills.”
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “We understand the impact that retail crime has on businesses, in particular its significant negative effect on the local economy and community.
“We do everything that we can to investigate reports, and where there is evidence that leads to the identification of a suspect we will pursue action through the courts if appropriate.
“Officers will be on patrol in the area, and our Neighbourhood Policing Teams will continue to work with business to offer them specialist crime prevention advice.”