Local business owners are praising police following the arrest of a 17-year-old yesterday for alleged break-and-enters in Lismore and theft of numerous items, some of which have been recovered.

In a further update, Richmond Police District Superintendent Scott Tanner told the Lismore App, "We have currently got an additional two young people in custody at Lismore police station who are assisting us with our inquiries."

Hopefully, these arrests will stop a crime spree that occurred over the last three weeks damaging a number of local businesses and costing them thousands in lost stock and repairs as they still recover from the floods in 2022.

As published in the Lismore App on April 29, Jason and Rachel Sipple, the owners of Just Ride Cycles at the Wyrallah Road Shopping Centre in East Lismore have been broken into four times since the 2022 floods. Twice in two days recently.

The Lismore City Bowling Club was broken into a third time last weekend with another $7,000 to $10,000 repair bill that the club cannot afford and SportsPower in Glasgow Lane was broken into three times in five days with two businesses affected. The Lismore App understands that a Liberty Service Station was another victim last weekend as well as the Lismore Golf Club where three golf carts were stolen.

Police have been able to link all the break-ins, which is good news for business owners who have been at their wit's end for a solution to the crimes, but it does send a message to other criminals or would-be criminals that they will be caught eventually.

The issue many business owners have is a lack of confidence in the legal system as the belief is the perpetrators will get a slap on the wrist and be released from custody to roam the streets again.

Jason Sipple said, "I would like the justice system to have harsher penalties than they have but it's a good thing they have been caught. I just want my bikes back."

Elton Cummings owns the building that houses his Bi-Rite shop as well as SportsPower (on the right side of the building), the recent break-ins have cost him a further $5-7,000 to repair the glass doors and the window thieves smashed with a rock. This is the eighth time he has been broken into since last year's flood.

"It's not only that but it will cost me another $10,000 to make the building more secure. We already had bars on the windows and they sawed through them to gain access. Not only that if you make an insurance claim, your insurance company increases your premium so you have to weigh that up."

James Reeves the owner of SportsPower told the Lismore App he hopes that most of his stock will be returned, "Then I won't have to make an insurance claim. We are in the middle of doing a stock take so it's early days."

"The police are doing a fabulous job. The way they have been all over this is a real credit to them. I hope the message is getting through to similar recalcitrant thieves. The police will take action and they will get caught."