Meeting with Wakefield businesses over ‘scum of the earth’ burglars behind centre crime spree

Owners of restaurants, bars, coffee shops and salons around Wood Street and Northgate are calling for action to protect premises and get tougher on criminals.

Wakefield MP Simon Lightwood has called a meeting with police and council chiefs over the concerns of business owners who have described how burglary is “endemic” in the city centre.

Wakefield Council leader Denise Jeffery told a meeting of senior colleagues how break-ins have become “a regular occurrence every night.”

West Yorkshire Police said they have made “multiple arrests” over commercial burglaries in Wakefield.

Hakan Kalkan said a burglary at his Turkish restaurant, Sofira, on February 5 cost him £2,000.

Mr Kalkan said it is the seventh time his business has been hit since 2021.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I would say it has probably cost me around £20,000 altogether.

“But it is not just about the money. It’s the emotional stress of having to deal with it, reporting it to the police and worrying about when it will happen again.

“It is getting to the stage where I’m think of closing the business because I have had enough.”

Mr Lightwood has written to business owners, inviting them to a meeting at Wakefield Town Hall on March 10 to discuss the problem.

He said: “I have been very concerned about the recent spate of break-ins to businesses in the Northgate, Wood Street and Cross Street area.

“I know this has caused significant frustrations and distress for business owners in the area.

“I have been in regular contact with the police, Wakefield Council and local businesses about these issues throughout.

“Although it is promising that there have been some recent arrests, I know that there is always more work that can be done to help make our city centre feel safer.

“That’s why I am organising this meeting, in partnership with the police and the council, to hear the concerns of businesses first-hand and to discuss what next steps can be taken.”

Michael Graham, the council’s cabinet members of culture leisure and sport, told a meeting on Tuesday: “We have got some some absolute scum of the earth breaking into restaurants and shops around the city recently.

“It absolutely guts me that they are going through such a challenging time with Covid and now they are facing this as well.

Coun Graham spoke as cabinet members agreed to introduce a business rates relief scheme for the next financial year.

“It is about time people who are caught doing this get proper punishment.

“People have been arrested for it. So, when found guilty, give them a proper punishment for it so they don’t do it again. Not a slap on the wrist and off you go – break into another restaurant. It is absolutely appalling.”

Coun Jeffery said: “Businesses in this district are struggling at the moment with a number of break-ins which seem to be a regular occurrence every night.

“They seem to be targeting Wood Street and Northgate.

“I understand there is to be a public meeting here in a fortnight about what is going on.

“It is the last thing we want, people breaking in when restaurants have closed at night. It is a bad situation.”

Inspector Paul Fraser, of Wakefield Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We are aware of a series of commercial burglaries that have taken place in Wakefield City Centre.

“The burglaries that have been reported are being investigated thoroughly by Wakefield Central Neighbourhood Policing Team and we have made multiple arrests in connection with the incidents.

“We also have ongoing work with our partners, which includes proactive operations and the use of forensic marking technology, to detect and prevent further offences from affecting local businesses within our community.

“We would like to encourage members of the public with any information that could assist with our investigations to contact us using 101.”

Business owners wanting to attend the meeting are being asked to contact Mr Lightwood via email: [email protected]