Wollongong shop owners Peng Zhang and Jiang Jiang Xu are proud to call the city their home.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But one Wednesday night, about a fortnight ago, their growing fears about safety outside their Burelli Street store, Ample Grocery, were realised.
About 5.30pm, Mr Zhang was attacked by a group of young men who had been blocking the doorway to their store, which is located next to a known gathering spot for loiterers.
The shop owner was attacked, punched and had his lip split, and ended up in hospital getting stitches.
The attack was one of several incidents which have frightened some in Wollongong’s Chinese community, prompting a coordinated approach from police, politicians and the university.
In the aftermath, Mr Zhang and Ms Xu were visited by Wollongong’s community safety workshop team, a joint initiative from the council and police.
A regular occurrence for stores targeted by petty criminals, the workshops involve an assessment and advice about how shopkeepers can improve security.
For instance, the Burelli Street shopkeepers were told how shelves block their view of the street, CCTV cameras which were too high to capture faces under caps and hoodies, and easy to access drinks fridges could make their shop a target for opportunistic theft.
Wollongong police district Inspector Don Faulds said – simple as they are – these measures could prevent worse crimes.
“The incident [involving Mr Zhang] itself was confronting and shocking for people to witness, and there has been issues with young people coming into businesses in this area,” he said.
“The main problem is low-level theft, but if these people are engaged it can escalate. It’s better to have some safety measures in place, let them take what they’re going to take and make sure you can get them on CCTV so you can get the police involved afterwards.”
Despite their ordeal, Mr Zhang and Ms Xu are adamant Wollongong remains a safe place.
“We don’t want to scare people,” Ms Xu said. “It’s quite safe here – there’s a small group of people who are bad.”