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WA Premier Mark McGowan has backed a ban on unaccompanied youth at a Geraldton supermarket chain losing an estimated $120,000-$150,000 a year from shoplifting.
Key points:
- WA's premier has expressed concern about the impact of youth crime on regional businesses
- The Rigters Supermarket Group has flagged entry bans after 6pm for some unsupervised children
- Mr McGowan said families must support authorities to prevent antisocial behaviour
He said the government can only do so much and parents must take responsibility for their children.
The Rigters Supermarket Group has announced it may stop unsupervised children under the age of 16 from entering its Geraldton stores after 6pm due to ongoing theft, threats to staff and assaults.
General manager Kyme Rigter said across six stores, the cost of shoplifting was between $120,000 and $150,000 each year.
He said the problem has become more serious in the past three months.
"There's been an escalation to the point now where we're getting three or four pretty major [incidents] per day," he said.
"Before if you caught them out, they'd be a bit sheepish, or now and then they'd give you a bit of a mouthful.
"Now they're getting quite aggressive in the threats that they're throwing back at you. Sometimes to the point that they're getting physical."
Mr Rigter said hoped the entry ban — which would be implemented on a case-by-case basis — would prevent antisocial behaviour.
"We thought instead of being reactive and chasing them around and thinking 'how can we deal with it?', we could potentially stop it before it happens," he said.
"Hopefully we can … get more traction with retailers and police and local government and see potential solutions [to make] Geraldton a better place to work and live."
Premier supports action
Speaking in Geraldton, Mr McGowan said he sympathised with the business.
"My dad ran a small business, I grew up in one. These sorts of things shouldn't happen; people should be able to go work and feel safe, people shouldn't have things stolen from them," he said.
Mr McGowan said there was a "very significant" police presence in Geraldton, but officers could only do so much to prevent youth crime.
"We can't have police on every corner, at every shop, 24 hours a day. So if stores need to do things like that, that's what they need to do," he said.
Mr McGowan said there were a number or programs on offer to support regional youth but the government could "only do so much" to curb anti-social behaviour.
"I know some people always point to the government, but it's not just government. We invest more and we do everything we can, but you need parents to parent and you need families to make sure they're managing their children," he said.
"If you're not managing your children, the government can only do so much.
"It's not just a government responsibility, it's a family responsibility."