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Sticks and Stones owner Glenys Hubbard was devastated to find the business she and her husband have worked so hard to build up was the target of a petty theft yesterday.
In the early hours of yesterday morning thieves broke a glass door panel and raced into the Macquarie Street premises, grabbing the tip jar before running off.
It triggered the alarms within the property but the morally corrupt thieves were still able to get away before police could arrive.
"A glass alarm was triggered three times. Whoever did it threw rocks to break the glass and then they pushed it in, allowing them to reach around and unlock the door," Mrs Hubbard said.
"The alarm triggered three times so we think it was two stones and then a foot or a hand to push the glass in.
"The only thing they took was a tips jar, which would have had about $100 to $200 in it. But it has caused us a lot of inconvenience."
Sticks and Stones didn't trade yesterday morning because Mrs Hubbard was concerned it wouldn't be safe enough for customers but the staff worked hard to ensure they were back trading by midday.
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"The window was smashed and glass was everywhere so it just wasn't safe for us to open for our customers this morning," she said.
"I put it up on Facebook so our regular customers would know and I have to say they were very understanding. We had messages like 'keep doing what you're doing' so it's nice to have that support."
Unfortunately for the business, it is the second time in a month they have been the focus of an attack.
"A similar thing happened just before Christmas. Someone threw a steel pipe at the door and the glass shattered. They tried to get in but whatever they did seized the lock and it couldn't be opened," Mrs Hubbard said.
"We had to have customers hopping over the rail to come in until we got the door fixed."
Mrs Hubbard said she did wonder why the council's CCTV cameras didn't extend down Macquarie Street past the Bultje Street roundabout. She said cameras may discourage any further attacks and help to identify troublemakers.
Dubbo City Council director of community services David Dwyer said decisions about the placement of cameras was made on the advice of police and said it was unlikely there would be any new cameras installed this financial year.
"We leave the decision about where new cameras go to police. They tell us where the hotspots are and we place cameras in those areas," Mr Dwyer said.
"All 27 of our cameras were decided that way.
"At the moment there is no money in the budget for anything other than upgrades so funding would have to come from state or federal government grants and there isn't anything on offer at the moment."