Zero Tolerance for theft: Police
Backpackers coming to Carnarvon to look for work and enjoy the tourist season are being warned shoplifting will not be tolerated.
Carnarvon police officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Paul McComish said after a spate of shoplifting by international backpackers last year they would not go lightly on offenders.
“They are mainly involved in minor shoplifting offences, but even so the scale of such last year got so out of hand,” Sen. Sgt McComish said.
“To stop it this year, we will have better communication with the shopping centres and the other police stations.”
He said police have been made aware of a big group of tourists possibly travelling up the coast after being banned from most places in Fremantle for causing a nuisance.
“Generally we haven’t seen antisocial behaviour from them in the past, apart from the illegal camping, which is more of a Shire issue,” he said.
“The problem we’ve got is they just don’t really care; to them they don’t see it as being a problem.
“They’re reasonably organised and they’re communicating online.”
Sen. Sgt McComish said Magistrate Kevin Tavener last year remanded international visitors who had been caught stealing until they could pay their fines.
He said he hoped that program would continue to act as a disincentive but pointed out not all backpackers caused trouble.
“Out of 100 there will be about six or seven ratbags,” he said.
French backpacker Laetitia Kettenmeyer said, because of the reputation of travellers at Carnarvon, she had struggled to find work.
She said she was reluctant to tell prospective employers she was from France.
“The first French couple we met said they would take us to a place where we could easily take some stuff,” Miss Kettenmeyer said.
“They are just ruining it for themselves because I think the Government will stop French having a second year visa."
ASHLEIGH TELFORD
