'Fed up': Slapped and abused on Beaumont Street as police delays spark frustrations

by · Newcastle Herald
Hamilton business operator Charlotte d'Arcy said she has 'dealt with a lot' on Beaumont Street, but nothing as bad as when she was hit and abused last month while at work last month. She says police have told her there is nothing they can do. Picture by Peter Lorimer

A Hamilton business owner, slapped and abused when she asked a woman to leave, said it took more than 24 hours from reporting the incident until she heard from Newcastle police.

Charlotte d'Arcy, who runs a makers and traders' market event at the Hamilton Community Hive on Beaumont Street, said she was on a break with her mother and aunt on May 17 when the woman approached.

She asked her to leave after an earlier incident that morning before the markets opened when the woman allegedly became aggressive.

"She got right up in my face and asked me who I was," the 26-year-old business owner said.

"I repeated myself and said please move on.

"Then she slapped me across the face in front of my customers, and my mum and aunt standing next to me. It was instant pain - a good slap.

"I've never been slapped before, but I just stayed standing and she took off."

Ms d'Arcy called the police and was told officers would arrive soon to take a statement. She said she heard nothing more until the next morning, when she found she had missed a call at about 10.30pm.

Officers came to her home the following day, but Ms d'Arcy said it was days without any further contact before she was told that without CCTV footage of the incident, there was nothing could be done.

Ms d'Arcy, concerned for the safety of her staff and customers, said she is now looking at a significant investment on security cameras and employing extra staff to try to prevent another incident.

Alternatively, she says she may face moving her business elsewhere.

Hamilton business operator Charlotte d'Arcy said she has 'dealt with a lot' on Beaumont Street, but nothing as bad as when she was hit and abused last month while at work last month. She says police have told her there is nothing they can do. Picture by Peter Lorimer

A spokesperson for NSW Police said their inquiries were ongoing and urged anyone with information to come forward by contacting Crime Stoppers.

Community safety was the organisation's first priority, police said, and response times can vary depending on the urgency of the incident.

Other variables include prioritisation of high-risk reports such as domestic violence or life-threatening incidents, and the volume of police activity at the time.

The incident follows a string of complaints from residents and businesses about violence and antisocial behaviour in the Hamilton area.

An impending three-year CCTV pilot program was expected to start soon after council endorsed the project in April under joint funding with the state government.

Councillor Jenny Barrie, who chairs the Hamilton Community Safety Committee and has led calls for improved public safety in the neighbourhood, said the council was in discussions with police over positions for nine cameras on Beaumont Street.

Residents and businesses were "fed up", she said, as some incidents went unreported because locals believed it was too difficult to get a police response.

"It's not only the businesses," she said. "It's the residents, too. They're also having to buy CCTV if they live close to Beaumont Street."

"It's sad. We need more policing, and the police are aware, but then people are not reporting either. They're so frustrated they can't get the police immediately, so they are not reporting."

"People are putting up with a lot of bad behaviour and it's just not tolerable anymore."

"We can't just keep talking about it, but the more you talk about it with people, the more you realise we need to do something."

City of Newcastle councillor Jenny Barrie has led calls for a public safety response on Beaumont Street after being inundated by complaints from businesses and residents. Picture from file

Ms d'Arcy said she had not returned to the Hive since the incident.

She believed the woman involved needed help, and was considerate of stretched police resources, but was at a loss of what to do beyond reporting incidents to police.

"I've dealt with a lot on Beaumont Street, but that was definitely the worst. But if police are not going to do anything about it, then I'm not going to put myself in that situation," she said.

"This woman is clearly needing assistance. Whether that's medical help, or to be taken somewhere that is safe for her."

"I've seen her walking the streets. I just think she needs help. And how is that going to happen if the police, who are meant to be keeping us safe, aren't willing to deal with it? What do we do?"

"I wasn't expecting to be spoken to straight away, but I didn't see any police that day."

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Cr Barrie hoped the CCTV trial would lead to more effective detection of crime and antisocial behaviour on the strip, but said greater emphasis on prevention and early support intervention was needed to turn back fears the neighbourhood was unsafe.

"We don't want to lose residents moving out of the area or businesses," she said. "CCTV is on the way, but that's just part of the solution. It's detection, prevention and reporting."