Steve Rainbow is a proud business owner who has run Articulate Framing in Ipswich since 2011, but with each passing day that he receives little attention to recent events of a criminal nature he edges towards being another business closing its doors in our city.
A month ago, the shop was robbed while Mr Rainbow was packing up for the day – triggering a string of issues and crimes against the business.
His car was also stoned at his home address, as well as his neighbours’.
“While I was dragging in my signs ‘he’ snuck into the shop and went behind the counter,” Mr Rainbow said.
“He eyed up the till then went around and found my bag and took my wallet and phone.
“I caught him on the way out, but too late he was gone.”
Taking the time to log a police report, Mr Rainbow says he and his business and family have been left out in the cold by Queensland Police Service.
“The Police will not address or treat robbery, intimidation, threats or fraud as it is not considered serious enough to warrant Police intervention,” Mr Rainbow said in a social media post on April 4.
“If it is not a ‘lights and sirens’ job then it is not important enough.”
But this is not another police or crime story, this is one of human compassion and standing by the businesses that make our region great.
“This is about empathy and compassion,” Rainbow said.
“I am not the only one living like this, and they should not have to live like that.”
State MP For Ipswich West, Darren Zanow commented on the situation.
“Steve is absolutely right, his is only one story but there are so many like his throughout the region,” he said.
“I remember the old CBD Traders committee, where anybody could be a member and be a part of it.
“I feel we’ve lost our way there and I feel with it we have lost our opportunity to have that collective frame of mind.”
Both Rainbow and Zanow, along with many others, see the Ipswich CBD split into three distinct parts – Top of Town, Nicholas Street precinct and the lower neglected end that includes Articulate Framing.
As a proud Ipswich business owner, he has stood by the city whether it was as a sponsor of the Ipswich Jets or having donated $60,000 worth of medical equipment to the Children’s Hospital.
“Not one Councillor or Chamber of Commerce member has approached me to see how we are going with it all,” Rainbow said.
“I have not had support from people I thought I would get support or compassion from.
“I thought I had a better standing in the community, but obviously not.
“As a business in the CBD of Ipswich I am on my own for policing and maintaining a safe business practice for my clients.”
“I understand Police are under the pump, but they are very understaffed, and this will continue to happen if it is ignored.”
MP Zanow commented on the state of policing without a pile on of the QPS, after so many articles of that type.
“The fact is we are 521 less frontline police officers since the last state election,” he said.
“We can talk about the fact Labor watered down the Youth Justice Act in 2016, and we can talk about how greatly this lays at their feet.
“But the fact is the resources are simply not there.”
Reduced to a lock remaining on his store door with a strong ring bell for access policy, through to sleeping with a protection implement and mattresses against his door out of fear, the past month has changed Rainbow’s professional and personal life.
“Nobody is interested with dealing with the situation and you just don’t know what may happen next,” he said.
In his shop he pointed at a chair before revealing a very private situation.
“I still sit in that chair sometimes and burst into tears.” “I’m still here every day, pushing to keep customers happy and get us all back on track.”
The business has survived two floods, and it’s this commitment that has changed his thinking of a sea change and kept the doors open. “It’s the customers, as long as they continue to stand by me like they do I will stay open,” he said.
“We survived having 1.6m of water through the entire place, we can survive this.”
