TRADERS in Newport city centre have raised concerns about a spate of burglaries in the area, in the same week that new data shows a spike in the crime.
Business owners around Newport city centre say they don’t feel secure with more needing to be done for shop owners, day and night.
This follows break ins at both Bar Piazza and Bar Amber recently, with other antisocial behaviour also reported.
Gwent Police has given figures to the Argus which show a 21 per cent increase in reported burglary cases from November 2022 and November 2023. Data from 2022 shows reported burglaries only, while 2023 data includes attempted burglaries.
But the force issued assurance that all reports of burglary are taken seriously and investigated fully by officers
Trader concerns
Businesses in Newport City Centre generally felt unsafe in and around the city.
Burglaries at businesses like Bar Piazza and Bar Amber in the past few weeks have left traders fearing for their personal safety and that of their business.
Long-time business owner Annette Farmer of Xclusive Jewellers has had issues with burglary in the past and had to take matters into her own hands to boost security in her shop.
“We did have a bit of trouble from the local drug addicts as well, they put the window through two years ago.
“It cost me four grand to fix.
“It’s not just about the window being put through, we had to have a carpenter to board it up, an electrician to disconnect the electrics, a shutter company to come out, take the springs off, then it’s all got to be fitted”.
Store leader at the O2 shop on Commercial Street, Kris Stewart, said: "I'm not surprised" when he was asked about the recent burglaries.
Mr Stewart said: “I feel safe enough, but I’ve had a customer when she finished a transaction say to me ‘I’m going to run to my car now’.
"She left the store and hastily went in the direction of the car park. Many customers say they don’t feel safe in Newport.
“We send out exit surveys to our customers via text. Even in text responses, you get a feel of how people feel around Newport. They often comment on how they feel approaching the store than what its like inside the store”.
Ali from phone accessories shop Case Up, said his store experienced theft in the past.
Ali said: "Being next to a HMO (House in Multiple Occupation), it's something you expect. There's five or six people living upstairs".
"If anyone steals anything, we're told not to do anything.
"Not to go after them and not to get our stock back because our lives could be at risk".
Ali also mentioned that another shop selling similar items was a victim of burglary, saying:
"The phone shop a few doors down got burgled but no one did anything. They came in through the back way".
A source, who chose to remain anonymous for the safety of their business, told The Argus, “BiD Security doesn’t really come past here, we don’t really feel safe or secure”.
The business owner mentioned that side streets don’t get the same level of security from the Business Improvement District ambassadors as retailers on Commercial Street.
Other businesses feel as though burglary isn’t as much of a problem for them, as it is for other retailers because of what they sell.
A member of the Cake Box team on Commercial Street said:
“Because of the nature of the items we sell, like cakes that are made-to-order, we’re ok and feel safe".
“There hasn’t been a day where I’ve felt unsafe, even though I’ve been annoyed”, said Liam Powell of Geek Retreat.
Mr Powell, 31, said "we've been broken into in the past but no one has done serious damage".
Police investigations are still ongoing for a series of burglaries that have happened in the city centre over the last few weeks.
Gwent Police reported a 21 per cent increase in burglaries
Figures for reports of burglaries have been given in the table above, showing a 21 per cent increase when comparing year-on-year.
Newport itself has had 32 additional cases of burglaries, both commercial and residential.
According to publicly-available Gwent Police data, reported incidences of burglary to Gwent Police shot up in November 2023 compared to November 2022.
A map (given below) of reported burglaries has been created showing the figures given by Gwent police together with where they were reported.
The map shows the highest concentration of reported burglaries in Newport city centre in November 2023, near to Newport market and Friars Walk.
Some incidences have been reported around Corporation Road in Victoria as well, while others have been reported around Spytty Park in Liswerry.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said: “Burglaries have a real impact on the people living and working in our communities; we understand the effect that this crime has on them.
“It can invade their sense of privacy and raise concerns about the security of – and their own safety inside – their own home or their business.
“As these figures illustrate the number of burglaries that we see across Gwent can rise as well as fall so it is hard to make direct comparisons but all reports of burglary are taken seriously and investigated fully by officers”.
In Cwmbran, burglaries were reported around residential areas as opposed to retail centres with several reported around Fairwater, Two Locks and Sebastopol.
Burglaries were also reported in Tredegar close to Tredegar Sports Ground.
Care must be taken with this data as distinctions between residential and commercial burglaries are not made, along with whether the reported burglaries were attempted burglaries or otherwise.
So is there a solution?
Local traders worry more burglaries will happen unless severe consequences are put in place.
Some traders claim that crimes are happening under police watch and are missed.
Ali of 'Case Up' said:
"There's a few drug dealers but police don't do anything. They're looking for the main guys so anyone further down just gets released.
"In front of the police, they'll throw something like bags of drugs but they [the police] don't do nothing".
When asked if he is looking into any security measures, Ali said, "I'm looking at getting shutters"
Mr Stewart of the O2 shop said things are getting better, as more light is shed on issues that city centre business owners are facing.
“One aspect has gotten better. There were people sleeping in the doorways which they’ve put a stop to.
"While they were there, you would regularly hear shouting up and down the high street which seems to have stopped now that they’ve boarded up the shop fronts and moved them on.
"What’s happening now are the shop floor thefts and break-ins”.
Ms Farmer of Xclusive Jewellers said more security needs to be in place in Newport, saying:
“The BID can only do so much, the police can only do so much.
“It needs to be stepped up a bit.
“The council needs to invest in some sort of security at night, protecting our businesses because more are going to leave”.
Measures have been put in place by Xclusive Jewellers and others on Commercial Street, with Ms Farmer saying:
“The council and police have got to support us. It’s got ten times worse in the past few years.
“We’ve got to put blinds up, shutters, take stuff out of the window”.
“It unnerves people, it unnerves me”.
The Business Improvement District were approached for a comment. A spokesperson said: "Night Ambassadors are on duty on Fridays and Saturdays".
There have been no charges in connection to the burglary at Bar Piazza.
A man has been charged with three counts of burglary in connection with the Bar Amber incident.
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