Staff at a shop in Edinburgh are “living in fear” after a gang of female youths raided the store. Costcutter on Biggar Road was targeted by the group of yobs, who stole £50 worth of alcohol.
Owner Garry Singh claims his staff are terrified of the feral gangs in the area. He revealed he is considering selling his business due to the stress of the shop being repeatedly raided by thugs who vary in age between 10 and 14, reports Edinburgh Live.
The most recent incident was captured on CCTV and showed a group of young females entering the store around 2.30pm on Monday, October 14. One female can be seen acting as a decoy while others ransacked the alcohol shelves before leaving the store in chaos.
“It is non-stop and happening in the middle of the day,” Garry said. “Six or seven girls came in and started gathering cans while another distracted a staff member.
“They took at least 12 cans of Dragon Soop. An employee tried to challenge them but they screamed and ultimately there is nothing you can do because they are young girls.
“We tried to stop a girl once and she accused the staff member of touching her while she threatened them. This has been happening every other week.
“Wee bits of juice and running away isn’t a nightmare but £50 worth of stock kills us as a small business, our profit margin just disappears. Around 20-25 come back regularly and split into groups. I’d say the youngest looks around 10 years old.”
Garry fears regular customers may start to avoid the store due to the antisocial behaviour which could severely impact his trading ability. He also claimed his staff have begun suffering from depression and anxiety due to the shop continuously being targeted.
“I’m really worried locals will avoid us to save the hassle,” he added. “Staff are depressed and I’ve lost two people due to this environment as they feel unsafe.
“We are living in fear and are worried if we speak out they will come back and take revenge. We would lock them in the shop but when we reported the incident on Monday to police they said they could not come out until Friday.
“Not sure what else we can do. We need more patrols in the area and for local parents to support us by having a word with their children. I have friends who have sold up their shops to go work on the taxis. It is not worth it anymore with the threats, abuse and loss of earnings we have to put up with.”
It is understood Police Scotland sent a patrol to the area shortly after a report was made to officers.
A spokesperson said: “Around 2.30pm on Monday, October 14, police received a report of several young female youths having stolen a quantity of alcohol from a Costcutter store in Biggar Road, Edinburgh. Enquiries are ongoing.”
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