A family running a Chinese takeaway in Pontarddulais say they have been "living on edge" ever since burglars ransacked their bedroom while their young children played in the room next door.
Mr and Mrs Dong - who did not wish to share their full names - said that on February 4 they were busy downstairs in the kitchen preparing orders for customers while two of their four children sat upstairs playing in their room. Little did they know that at the time people were ransacking their home looking for cash and valuables, just yards from their kids.
And they are not alone. Police confirmed this week there had been a spate of break-ins at Chinese restaurants and takeaways in Swansea since mid-January, with others recorded in the Gwent, Dyfed Powys, Gloucester and Avon and Somerset police force areas. Two men have been released on bail after being arrested in connection with the incidents while two other men aged 24 and 32 are now in the custody of West Midlands Police where they are being questioned in connection with a number of other similar offences. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Following the incidents, members of the Chinese community in Swansea have described how they are living in fear of being targeted.
It was at around 7:30pm that CCTV footage showed a car stopping next to Mr and Mrs Dong's takeaway and people climbing over their fence. After ripping off a sensor light from the wall outside, the burglars climbed into the house through the back window.
"It was a Saturday, so we were very busy so we didn't hear the noise," said Mr Dong. The couple did eventually hear a loud noise but thought it was just the sound of their children - aged 6 and 9- playing, Mr Dong added.
The parents had no idea that just above them, burglars had broken into their home and were in the bedroom looking for items to steal. It was not until around 10pm that Mr Dong went to help his son who had told him he needed to use the bathroom that he realised the bathroom door was locked from the inside.
Using a stick to open the door, Mr Dong noticed footprints in the sink and saw that items that once stood on the windowsill were strewn across the floor. When he went into his bedroom, a safe which contained £4k of savings for his children was nowhere to be seen and family heirlooms, passports and even loose change from the pockets of his family's clothes were missing.
"My two children were playing and the door was open the whole time. If they had turned their head they could have seen [the burglars] walk past. They had to walk past my children's room to get to our room. It was that dangerous," said Mrs Dong.
Their children had not witnessed the break-in, but Mr and Mrs Dong later explained what had happened to their son and daughter. Their youngest son has autism and Mrs Dong said the ordeal had a very negative impact on him. "He is not able to sleep now," said Mrs Dong. "As a mother, I can still hear my heart beating in my chest. I'm worried sick and I feel like I'm on the edge of a nervous breakdown. I'm afraid it will have a long-term impact on the children."
The family have owned their takeaway for ten years and up until now felt safe in their community, said Mr Dong. "Now this has happened, it has disrupted everyone in the family. We're so worried they might come back. We look at everything suspiciously now. We feel under threat all of the time," he explained. The parents had saved up the money that was stolen for over a decade for their children - he said he now regretted not putting it into a bank account.
DCI Russell Jenkins, from South Wales Police, said: “Incidents of this nature are extremely distressing for victims, and they will not be tolerated. We are investigating several burglaries which have happened since mid-January. We are working with our partners and members of the communities affected to offer additional crime prevention advice to the business owners.
"These offences have impacted several forces areas including our own, these are Gwent, Dyfed Powys, Gloucester and Avon and Somerset Police. We are working in partnership and collaboration with our colleagues from these force areas to investigate further these matters.”
Another victim of the recent wave of break-ins across Swansea is mother and takeaway owner Mrs Chi - who also did not want to share her full name. The 46-year-old is now "living in fear" after an attempted break-in at her takeaway on Tuesday, February 7. Mrs Chi and her husband were working downstairs in their takeaway in Penlan while her 15-year-old son was doing his homework upstairs. Suddenly, her son ran downstairs to alert them that somebody was trying to break-in, said Mrs Chi.
When the family went upstairs, a window had been broken but there was nobody to be seen. Their son then told them a man in a balaclava had asked him to open the window for him before leaving when Mrs Chi's son ran downstairs shouting for his parents.
"They're not even afraid of a tall teenager," said Mrs Chi, who added that her youngest son was downstairs with them at the time. "If it was my youngest child who is autistic, he would have opened the window for him. It has scared us, we are all living in fear. I can't even step out of the door now."
Since the break-in was unsuccessful, Mrs Chi said she was fearful someone would return and hurt her children. "You can imagine how we feel everyday, we think some criminals are going to break in and hurt us. We can't relax, I don't know how we can cope," she said.
Mrs Chi explained it was a misconception that there was a lot of cash in all Chinese takeaways and added that many Chinese immigrants already felt quite isolated as it was likely they did not have the support of extended family living in Wales.
Mr Dong said he knew of at least ten other Chinese restaurants and takeaways in Swansea that had also been affected by the break-ins and said he thought people saw the Chinese community as "easy targets" because they were seen as quiet and timid citizens who did not want to cause trouble.
Language barriers were an issue for the community, said Chinese in Wales Association project manager, April Kong. She said it was more difficult for victims to report crimes and use automated emergency phone systems when their first language was not English. She said some people who used the association's services had come forward with stories of recent break-ins, not all of them were comfortable speaking out or reporting the incidents.
Mr Dong said he knew of victims who were not reporting the break-ins and explained some Chinese people who had been targeted might blame themselves, and due to some aspects of Chinese culture, might feel like they did not protect their children or business well enough. He also added that some victims did not want to come forward as they feared the burglars might come back to get revenge.
"We've never felt like this before in Wales," said Mrs Chi. "We've always felt safe but this has sent us a message that we cannot keep our family safe and we are not protected. We want to raise awareness so the community can help us put a stop to this ordeal. We need to let these villains know the police are behind us. We don't want to live like this, it's impacted our mental health," she added.
Two other victims of the recent break-ins are May Lin, 41, and Mei Lin, 50, who both own Chinese takeaway businesses on the same street in Morriston. On Friday, February 17, they each went to the second floor of their businesses at around 8pm and saw that they had been "ransacked". Thousands of pounds were missing from both of the takeaways, but the women had not heard anyone break in while they were busy working downstairs.
"I still have not come around from the shock or come to terms with what happened," said May, who has run her Morriston-based business for nine years with her husband. "That area has always felt safe, we do have the occasional mischievous children but the police station is very near to us."
Now, leaving her children while she worked downstairs made her feel nervous and the whole family felt very unsafe, she said. Her friend Mei, who was also burgled, said she lived above her shop but most of the buildings around her were offices. She said she felt isolated and insecure and her teenage son, aged 15, had been terrified ever since the burglary and would not even get his own water or food without his dad coming with him.
With the Covid pandemic and cost-of-living crisis taking a toll on the business in recent years, Mai said: "Everyone is in difficult times. We've been struggling for three years. We were just starting to recover and now this has put us in an even more difficult situation. We hope the police put a stop to it and put the criminals where they belong."
A spokesperson for the Chinese in Wales Association said: "The Chinese community has been settling in Wales for over 100 years, with many of today's generation being born Welsh. They are a peaceful community who live quietly amongst themselves while contributing positively to Welsh society in a number of different ways. Now, this community is under threat and being targeted by motivations that are potentially race and hate-related.
"Thieves and criminals may see the Chinese community as an easier target due to their quiet and peaceful nature. Most victims are expected to remain silent about the attacks committed against them. However, the police and local organisations are now working to support this community and catch any culprits through the use of CCTV footage, physical evidence, and eyewitness accounts.
"Hate, race crimes, and crimes of any nature have no place in our society. With the authorities and local organisations already working hard, we hope to gain the support of local citizens in our efforts to combat these criminals so that we may bring them to justice. We will continue to campaign and empower our community to stay alert and safeguard families and the community."
Inspector Kee Wong of South Wales Police added: “Since these burglaries began a number of neighbourhood officers have being paying frequent visits to these businesses across the force area providing crime prevention messaging and reassurance to the Chinese community. We will continue to engage closely with the community as the investigation progresses.”
Anyone with information relating to these incidents is asked to contact South Wales Police, quoting ref: 230004355.
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