Another break-in at the Jamaican Kitchen on the North Shore in Kamloops is a breaking point for the restaurant owners and a local business advocate.

The family-owned business on Tranquille Road has been broken into twice in the past two months, with significant damage in both of those instances. In fact, there have been three break-ins in the past nine months.

“We walked in to yet another break in today and I can tell you my husband and I are fed up,” owner Denese Metsimela wrote on facebook. “The city council and the police have failed us yet again. No one in charge seems to care or have the will to do anything about property crime in this town.”

In this instance, it is believed an iPad was stolen. In previous break-ins, alcohol, cash, and even hanging planters were stolen.

Speaking on the NL Noon Report, Jeremy Heighton, the Executive Director of the North Shore Business Improvement Association, blamed gangs and organized crime for the plight of many businesses, noting too there is almost no accountability from the criminal justice system.

“Well can I use the P word? I’m not sure, cause I’m really [pissed] off, to be quite frank with you,” he said. “It is just another example of how even with a business that has cameras and has lighting and is the street corner on a main intersection can be hit yet again, by thugs and vandals in our city.”

Heighton says in many instances, the perpetrators of these acts of vandalism are career criminals.

“Look, we’re all in favour of mental health supports. We are all in favour of effective housing. We are all in favour of good social programming,” he added. “Gangs and organized crimes and willful criminal activity – we are done with those things where there is no accountability in the system.”

“It is time for us to stand up to community leaders and say. ‘now is the time, let’s get this done.’

Last month, Heighton said the NSBIA was requesting a formal review of community safety mechanisms in the city, noting intentional vandalism and other crimes have the city in a “state of siege.”

“We wish to clearly understand who is responding to our community safety concerns, what that response is, the cost of this response, and wish to work with our response agencies to define clear tasks, actions, and recommendations on methods to regain safety of our streets, alleys, and neighbourhoods for our residents,” he said.

In March, Kamloops mayor Ken Christian said he wondered if criminals felt they had somewhat of a “free pass” based on charge assessment standards in the judicial system that generally let people off the hook for lower-level crimes.

City Councillor Bill Sarai says he has requested that Kamloops RCMP to put “more boots on the ground” to give businesses more support.

In the meantime, a GoFundMe has been created to help Denese and Kamau pay for repairs once again.

“Times are so tough for so many people and businesses and the family doesn’t deserve this,” organizer Tegan Rombough wrote. “I thought, as a community, we can help them out to pay for repairs and what was stolen, and possibly install some kind of anti theft device or bars on the windows or something to deter these criminals.”

Heighton tells NL News he is heartened by that outpouring of support.

“There’s two sides to this story. The one side of course is the repetitive criminal activity that is out of control. We’ve talked about this for quite some time, and we are frustrated with that,” he said.

“The other side is the embracing side of our community who have stepped up and are fundraising for Kamau and Denese and really sort of trying to help out, because we stand together as the business community.”