ONE Lake Cathie business owner is fed up with the number of burglaries in the area and wants to see more police patrols to stop thieves.
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PC Pitstop Computers owner Ben Waters’ house and adjoining business was broken in to earlier this month.
Thieves stole computers, LCD screens, printers, laptops, electric guitars, jewellery and cash.
“Basically they took everything that wasn’t nailed down,” Mr Waters said.
He estimated the worth of the stolen goods at $30,000.
Since the attack Mr Waters has taken it upon himself to find the culprits and has $1000 cash on offer for further information.
Mr Waters said he believed there has been a spike in the number of break and enters because there wasn’t a strong enough police presence in Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills.
“Police from Wauchope ended up coming out because the Port Macquarie and Laurieton ones were tied up,” Mr Waters said.
The 30-year-old said residents in Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills were in “a bit of a grey spot”.
“We’re 20km from Port, 20km from Laurieton and 20km from Wauchope,” he said.
“It makes us an easy target for burglaries which have recently been on the increase.”
A spokesman from Port Macquarie police wouldn’t disclose the number of break and enters in Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills but said the police were aware it was a problem area.
“We are aware of the number of break and enters in that area and have some strategies in place to combat that,” he said.
The spokesman would not disclose what the strategies were but said it was an “ongoing operation”.
“We have identified some of the offenders in that area and the area is being targeted by police to reduce the number of break and enters,” he said.
“General duty, detective and highway patrol police are regularly dispatched there.
“It’s an issue we are working on.”
