For years High Street has been no stranger to incidents of crime and homelessness, and now business owners along the main Penrith shopping strip are looking for ways to make the area safer for their customers.
Jess Jenkins from Mr Watkins, Kellie Fielding from Wicked Ink and Chilli Pizarro from Wicked Laser, among other business owners, have all helped people dealing with homelessness and crime along High Street but said the dual issues leave a “bad feeling” along the street.
“I think it is more the fact that we know some of them have nowhere to go… I’ve fed some of them… and we’ve all been buying them things because they don’t have anywhere to go, I don’t know what the solution to that is,” Feilding said.
“It’s concerning because families are coming through and seeing someone who is not quite with it and is a little bit off with the fairies and they are talking to themselves and that’s as the families are walking by.”
Pizarro explained that at times young children don’t feel safe coming to the street on their own.
“The feeling is uncomfortable… my daughter comes to visit me at work and says it is so scary to come around High Street,” Pizarro said.
“She is 11-years-old and asking why there are people talking to themselves and dressing inappropriately. So, if a child can see it, we have to give some attention to it.”
The business owners say it is important to address the issues now and implement fixes before the situation escalates.
“I don’t think we have a stereotype, and we don’t want it to get there. That’s why we wanted to talk about it because we want our customers and our community to feel safe coming here,” Jenkins said.
“That is the most important thing because it is our hub, it’s our community and it’s where people gather. They come to café’s, restaurants, tattoo parlours or doctors’ appointments and so for us it is really important that it doesn’t seep into the community where people are feeling unsafe up here. We want something done about it.
“We know there are services, they are not hard to access but some people don’t want to access them. That is a bit of an issue. We want people to know that we see it and we’re trying to find solutions to it at the moment.”
Nepean Police Area Command (Nepean PAC) said there are measures in place to try to combat the incidents of crime and homelessness on High Street but acknowledged there is nearly one incident a day on the street that they deal with.
“Crime rates on High Street appear to be relatively stable. Over the past three months, the reported number of incidents on High Street range between 26 and 31 incidents per month,” a spokesperson for Nepean PAC said.
“High Street continues to be a target location for proactive policing strategies and will remain an ongoing tasking for police to conduct patrols and other related taskings. High Street is also listed as a target location on region led police operations.
“The Nepean PAC Crime Prevention Officer (CPO) has recently engaged with several external stakeholders where homelessness was discussed, and measures are being implemented to address the issue and assist homeless people.
“The CPO has also personally engaged with several businesses on High Street recently where this issue was discussed. The CPO will continue to liaise with business owners and external stakeholders in relation to homelessness.”
State Member for Penrith, Karen McKeown, acknowledged the issue of crime and homelessness on High Street but said the issue is complex.
“I’m aware of the homelessness situation and our office is proactive in offering referral services. We also make representations to police if we are aware of any antisocial behaviour, and I would urge all residents and businesses to do likewise,” McKeown said.
“I regularly attend the Community Safety Precinct committee meetings at Penrith Council which includes a number of stakeholders and police. At our recent meeting we discussed some specific concerns, and the police advised that they have moved a number of people on.
“Unfortunately, the individuals concerned have declined any offers of assistance. Many of these individuals have very complex situations.
“The police at this meeting also spoke to the recent crime statistics released and advised that there has not been a significant increase.
“I would advise everyone to report any incidents to police even if you feel it’s not important.”
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.