Corrimal businesswomen and retail workers, from left, Emily Norris, Julie Berriman, Erin Murphy, Tayla Thomas, Darlene Maher and Samantha Berriman. Picture: ADAM McLEAN
Corrimal businesswoman Darlene Maher has had more than her fair share of unwelcome customers since opening her shop late last year.
Opportunistic thieves and people affected by drugs and alcohol are regular headaches for the Princes Highway sports store owner and she is fed up.
Today Ms Maher and a number of other business owners will meet Keira MP Ryan Park to discuss their concerns and also strategies to help tackle dodgy behaviour in Corrimal's town centre.
Ms Maher said she was constantly shocked at the audacity of the criminals who peddle their trade in the area.
"Most of it is the shoplifting, when you confront them to put the item back they will turn it on you," she said.
"You don't know whether they're going to pull a knife on you, whether they're going to do something to you, but at the same time I want to protect what's mine, I'm not letting them come in here and take what they want."
Stealing, fights and bad behaviour fuelled by drugs and alcohol were all taking a toll on Corrimal's appeal for customers, Ms Maher said.
"It's affecting all the businesses and the doors are shutting, more and more shops are closing in Corrimal so it's got a knock-on effect," she said.
"Do we close up and leave it empty or do we fight?"
Despite the continuous problems, Ms Maher said few business owners reported the crimes to police.
"If they're made aware of the thing then they can do something about it," she said.
"The police are there to help us, the members of parliament are there to help us but unless we keep saying something about it they're not going to do anything about it."
She urged business owners to contact police with problems and to keep an eye out for their neighbours.
Mr Park said he looked forward to speaking with the business owners to get an idea of the scale of the issue.
"I want to meet with them directly on site so I get a really good understanding about their concerns, what problems they've been having so I can meet directly with local police to talk about what they might be able to do about crime in and around that area," he said.