FROM PARADISE TO BARBED-WIRE HELL
(Monday Telegraph 14th March 2011) By: Samantha Townsend. (Regional Reporter)
It once topped the list as the best town for tourists in all of Australia.
But the sleepy surfing hamlet of Yamba, a place where residents could leave the back door unlocked, has been woken from its slumber by a wave of crime.
It had become so bad that some residents have erected barbed wire on the top of their fences to deter intruders from breaking into their homes.
Other residents have resorted to partially hammering nails into fences to try to deter thieves.
The recent spate of robberies, harassment and break and enters is the last straw for many who want the State Government to provide more police to man a 24-hour police station.
The town as a shopfront station but officers have to travel 64km from Grafton to service the area.
A leaked internal police report revealed by The Daily Telegraph suggests the region needed another 49 officers.
One resident, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, said they moved to the region seven years ago because the town offered a great lifestyle.
But since they were broken into three years ago, they lived in fear and wanted more done to protect their home.
They have put barbed wire on top of the fence.
It was a great place to live but we are fed up, the resident said. Many people have moved out of our street because of the crime.
Another resident, when asked about the barbed wire, said: There is a reason for it and it’s for safety.
When The Daily Telegraph visited Yamba, there were about a dozen homes with barbed wire fencing.
A home that was let for holiday rentals had stickers throughout the property that stipulated guests should lock up and not leave personal items around.
Grafton Inspector Murray Gillett said crime was predominantly caused by young adults because of unemployment and socio-economic problems.
Yamba is also a large tourist town and tourists attract crime, Inspector Gillett said.
Clarence Valley Mayor Richie Williamson said the crime was being caused by those under 25.
In 2008, Yamba boasted it had the best climate in the world, and it beat tourist destinations Broome, Bryon Bay and Port Douglas to top the list of the best 100 towns in an Australian Traveller Magazine.
Mr Williamson backed calls for more police and said there needed to be a 24-hour police station at nearby Maclean to service the lower Clarence region including Yamba, despite the Yamba community wanting one in their town.
Police are critically understaffed, which is part of the problem but we need youth development programs like PCYC to help, Mr Williamson said.
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