Owner warns thieves

By Shaun Inguanzo
A DANDENONG café owner is determined to camp out and ‘catch the bastards’ who have broken into his business four times in the last two weeks.
But Eddie Nasser, 26, owner of Fast Eddie’s café in Robinson Street, Dandenong, doesn’t have the time to play detective.
Mr Nasser has instead called for a united front of traders to pitch in funds to hire private security guards to patrol central Dandenong at night in a bid to combat crime.
Thieves stole food, drink, uniforms, and a plasma television, while inflicting more than $2000 in property damage on Mr Nasser’s café overnight on 19, 23, 26 February and 1 March.
“I’m thinking of putting the business on the market because nothing is being done about the crime,” the businessman said.
“I will move to somewhere else, which is such a shame because I’ve been here for only 13 months and am really in a growth stage of the business. I built it from scratch and was only now starting to see the rewards.”
Mr Nasser said there were ‘no words to explain’ his feelings about the crime.
“I’d just love to sleep here and catch the bastards,” he said.
Mr Nasser said he was born and bred in Dandenong North and was aware of the city’s lingering reputation of crime.
“But the initial reason I set up the business was because of all the publicity about spending money in Dandenong to do it up,” he said.
“But I’ve only seen it get worse, even though others are saying it is getting better.”
Mr Nasser is located next to a Centrelink office and said he and his staff often saw ‘druggies’ walk past.
“We see druggies walk past here all the time, in full view.
“Because this is one of the nicer cafes with a plasma television up, it attracts the wrong sort of attention, which is a shame.”
Mr Nasser said police had recommended an alarm system after the first break-in, but he found it could not be installed until weeks later – which failed to help when thieves struck another three times.
Mr Nasser said only increased police patrols or private security patrols would convince him to stay in Dandenong.
“I used to be in the security industry, and I feel that if all the traders in the street chipped in $10 or $15 a week to get patrols, then it might cut back the crime.”
But Dandenong Retail Traders’ Association chairman Roy Aspinall said some traders had discussed the option several years ago, only to find that security guards had no rights on public streets.
“Apparently they can act when on the private premises,” he said.
“But on the street they are classed as normal citizens.”
Mr Aspinall urged Mr Nasser to install an alarm system.