A RESTAURANT owner said his move to Bournemouth has been "disappointing" following a spate of break-ins.

Kevin Farrell, the owner of Vegivores in Bourne Avenue, said his venue has been broken into four times since opening in February this year.

The town centre restaurant expanded to Bournemouth after experiencing roaring success in Reading.

However, Kevin expressed shock at the level of anti-social behaviour the establishment encountered shortly after opening in the area.

He said: "I was surprised by how high the crime rate is in the area, but you only have to spend a bit of time in the town to see what's going on.

"We have put in a lot of time and money to try and make it a better place, but I don't feel there has been much effort to improve the town centre."

Kevin said police responded to the first break-in back in April, where alcohol was stolen from the restaurant.

Police used CCTV footage to identify and prosecute the offender.

Since April, the venue has faced three more break-ins, one of which involved the theft of around £600.

Kevin said: "We haven't even received a call back from the police, and I didn't bother reporting one incident because I knew there was no point.

"It's the same faces, and the same types of things keep happening.

"But the fact is, if no effort is being made by the police, then nothing is going to change."

As a result of the break-ins, Kevin decided to operate as a cashless venue, saying: "We can't continue to afford these losses."

Police are aware of three of the four incidents and say no arrests have been made in relation to incidents that occurred on August 20 and August 24, but enquiries are ongoing.

Neighbourhood inspector Adrian Thompson said: "We acknowledge the impact that crime, such as commercial burglaries, can have on a business, and we regularly review our approach to tackle reported business crime.

"We have also received funding for additional officers to directly target retail crime through the Op Spotter initiative, which sees plain clothes officers deployed in the town centre to identify those involved in theft offences as well as other crimes targeting town centre businesses. These patrols will also continue throughout September."