Local business owners have raised concerns about retail crime, scams, fraud, and pressure on local policing at a Hurstville Business Safety Forum hosted by Federal Member for Barton, Ash Ambihaipahar MP.
Around 25 business owners attended the forum on 22 October, joining representatives from the St George Police Area Command, Georges River Councillor Ben Wang and Ms Ambihaipahar for a direct discussion about safety and the experiences of businesses in Hurstville.
The forum gave local businesses a chance to raise concerns directly with police, learn more about available support, and discuss practical ways to improve safety. It also allowed Ms Ambihaipahar to hear firsthand about the broader challenges facing local small businesses and how she can better support and advocate for them at a Federal level.
Business owners spoke about retail crime, scams and fraud, as well as difficulties receiving timely responses to some non-emergency matters and concerns about pressures on local police resources.
Police provided practical advice on reporting incidents, preserving and submitting CCTV evidence, supporting employees affected by criminal activity and accessing available reporting mechanisms. Several attendees said they had not previously been aware of some online reporting and evidence submission options.
As Hurstville is home to a highly culturally and linguistically diverse business community, accessibility was an important part of the forum. Translation services were available for Chinese-speaking business owners, enabling them to participate in the discussion, ask questions and better understand the reporting pathways and support available to them.
The forum was delivered in collaboration with St George Police and Georges River Councillor Ben Wang, helping to strengthen connections between local businesses, police and community representatives. Following the forum, Ms Ambihaipahar has written to the NSW Government to raise the concerns she heard about local policing capacity and advocate for the continued resourcing of the St George Police Area Command.
Ms Ambihaipahar will also continue working with local businesses and relevant Federal Ministers to ensure the experiences and challenges raised by small businesses in Barton inform her advocacy and the support she pursues at a Federal level.
Quotes attributable to Ash Ambihaipahar MP, Federal Member for Barton:
“Our local businesses know what is happening on the ground. This forum was about bringing businesses, police and local representatives together to have an open conversation about the safety issues they’re facing and what more can be done to support them.”
“Hurstville is an incredibly diverse community, and it was important that language wasn’t a barrier to businesses accessing information, asking questions or knowing how to report an incident. It was great to see businesses leave with practical information and stronger connections with our local police.”
“I heard the concerns businesses raised about pressures on local police resources, and I’m following them up. I’ve written to the NSW Government, and I’ll keep looking at what I can do at a Federal level to better support our local small businesses and advocate for what they need.”
Quotes attributable to Ben Wang, Georges River Councillor:
“Keeping our business community safe works best when local businesses, police and representatives work together. We’ve seen before how that collaboration can deliver results, including following concerns about youth graffiti raised through the Taste of Shunde forum.”
“Today’s forum gave local traders practical information about retail crime, scams and fraud, while also allowing them to speak directly with police about what they are experiencing.”
“Hurstville is a diverse and vibrant business community, and it’s important that every business owner can access the information and support they need. I’ll continue advocating for our local traders and working with Ash, St George Police and our community to keep Hurstville safe.”