Two shops in Greerton Village had their windows smashed tonight.
Reports of homeless people fighting and windows being smashed about 6.30pm quickly brought police and one of the business owners to the site.
Café Essence in Cameron Road had one window smashed in leaving an open gap. Next door, Greerton Lotto had a window cracked. The two shops have a Kiwibank ATM between them, hosted by Greerton Lotto.
The smashed window at Café Essence
Belinda Sands, owner of the Greerton Lotto next door to Café Essence was contacted by her security company. She has had the Kiwibank ATM installed at the front of the shop for about six years.
'The fight tonight could have been about money,” says Belinda. 'There were so many people around here tonight.
'My security company rang me and when we got here there would have been 10 or 12 of these guys hanging around but they didn't want to tell us too much at all. No one apparently saw anything but we have got cameras operating and it will all be on the footage.”
Greerton Lotto shop window
The afterhours phone number for Café Essence wasn't available or known to the police or other shop owners, who made efforts to contact the café's owner.
'There are just so many people roaming the streets at Greerton at the moment,” says Belinda. 'I know it's happening everywhere but you just don't know who you can trust.
'I had an old lady at the ATM yesterday screaming because some young kid had come over the top of her asking for money - $20. And it's just becoming more and more intimidating. I've been here 16 years and its making Greerton horrible.
'We have a really neat community out here and we just don't need this. The more people that are doing it, the more hangers on there are.
'Today we would have had 10 or 12 beggars sitting around Greerton. And they're not homeless. They're brought into Greerton in a van at 7.30am in the morning and set up to make money.”
9 comments
SO MANY
Posted on 09-02-2018 08:54 | By Bruja
Fellow Kiwis cross this nation are in a desperate position. If they look ahead to the future they see nothing. The policies of the previous 9 years of governance have made a number of people very wealthy. Those same policies have left a MASSIVE number who exist, day to day with no prospects of anything more than that, EVER. They don't care because they have been shown that others don't care. The fabric of our society has been shredded. The new government cannot sort this alone and unless, mainly, there is a very rapid and widespread sorting of accommodation availability and cost this is what New Zealand is going to look like and it will get MUCH worse. THINK about how YOU can help the government to fix this. Less greed, more caring. People need somewhere reasonable to live. Stop ignoring the elephant in the room. Greed and Homelessnes
Enough's enough!
Posted on 09-02-2018 09:24 | By Sandra77
This is rubbish!! When is the council going to step up and get this sorted! Introduce a bylaw - give the police more right to rid our streets of this scum! That's what they are absolute scum! And people have to stop giving to them - they wouldn't be there if they weren't making money.
Cops
Posted on 09-02-2018 10:13 | By maildrop
Will launch a thorough investigation and put the culprits before the Panto. Or just tell you to contact your insurer. Nothing more than security guards, ushering people along and clearing up.
Enough is enough
Posted on 09-02-2018 13:17 | By About that
I agree with you Berlinda, these characters are always loitering around your shop and other shops in Greerton and some of these turkeys hang around the money machine looking for hand outs. I've been approached by one in the past and needless to say, he got told where to go. The police are no doubt aware of the issues in this area and feel a initiative needs to be taken to move them out of the area for the safety of others, particularly the vulnerable elderly.
By Bruja
Posted on 09-02-2018 19:19 | By phoenix
If you think these people are Homeless, Starving, and not on a Benefit, Take your pay cheque and share it out among them, I'M sure they will be most grateful.
Fairs fair
Posted on 09-02-2018 21:12 | By About that
Agree Bruja to a point. Most, not all, of the homeless in society cannot be helped. Why waste time and effort on those who don't want to help themselves. There are numerous homeless shelters in Tauranga offering a warm bed and food. These places are often only half full. The culprets in this case are likely to be influenced by narcotics or alcohol of which they have obtained by cash handouts or bargained their fix by the means of food or other items. Truth is, they simply don't care or have any respect for others belongings, just themselves and sadly, often where their next fix is coming from or how to get it. Not all homeless are homeless by force, some have chosen a path of homelessness.
The bottom line is -
Posted on 09-02-2018 21:31 | By The Caveman
That the POLICE do not have the resources to keep what is a very small group of anti-social SCUM under control. Just like the so called "beggars" at Bethlehem, POLICE - move them on or charge them with what is any number of laws that provide for "unacceptable" conduct in a public place................. And yes there are at least SEVEN bits of law that can be used !!!!!!
Agree with By phoenix
Posted on 10-02-2018 22:01 | By old trucker
You are so right, my opinion in and my bobs worth is, they should all be given foodstamps like in the states, and WINZ should CHECK ALL gambling places to see who is wasting their money ,anybody they find smoking, ( i believe is about $25 a packet) taken off them, the benefit, I KNOW what i would do if i were incharge, well im on your side phoenix, and Sunlive for bringing us these stories which we can comment on ,Thankyou. 10-4. phew.
Genuine or not.
Posted on 12-02-2018 13:10 | By Bgt1
I have sat at a cafe in Devonport Rd one morning and had a coffee, 2 doors down in an empty shop doorway was a guy with a sign asking for money, it was his lucky day as there were cruise ship passengers all over the place, I saw people give him money, one girl brought him something to eat from the cafe I was at, another cruise ship passenger gave him a cigarette. Then I saw him take money off another elderly cruise ship passenger and head straight across the road to a bar. The person who gave him the money saw this and shook his head in disgust. It certainly made me wonder about all who sit on the street with signs out asking for charity.
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