Carpenter shocked with unbelievable act after business slump
An Australian carpenter has shocked people after revealing his incredible act after being the victim of a robbery.
Jeff Usher took to social media earlier this week that two teenagers had broken into his shop.
Instead of calling the police, however, kind-hearted local Katherine decided to reach out to the two young men with a very generous offer, NT News reported.
“This young chap and at least one other mate visited our shed Friday night from 11-11:30am,” he wrote on Facebook.
“The only issue I have is that we weren’t open at that time of the night and it’s not cool to use a deadbolt on our doors.
“Anyway, Katherine is a small community and Custom Cabinets has long supported our youth. We’d love to get in touch with this young guy and offer him a better way to make ends meet.
“He’s probably too young to start an apprenticeship, but we could certainly negotiate an apprenticeship contract in hopes of long-term employment and eliminating possible future incarceration.”
“We would like to start a conversation with this young lad and his school about his future as I think it’s a bit bleak at the moment.
“Feel free to share this as this is a genuine offer. We didn’t go to the police because they are busy enough and neither do we.
“If you happen to see this, how about changing your future with our help.”
The olive branch offered to the teenager has warmed hearts online, with people across Australia applauding his actions.
Mr Usher told NT News that he felt the current approach to juvenile delinquency was not yielding results and would welcome the young man to his small team of two trainees, four workers and an office manager.
“I’m not trying to save the world, I just think some of these kids need to be built up, not empowered,” he said.
“The crime has impacted our business a bit, but I don’t think that behavior is going to go anywhere.
“He’s going to end up in prison, crime is a tricky business and a habit I think is hard to break.
“The community here is great. A lot of people like me want to help because anger and excitement are wasted emotions.”
Many cities in the Northern Territory are grappling with an explosion in crime.
Back in April, more than 800 Katherine residents signed a petition calling for a curfew for young children to help tackle the city’s crime crisis.
Local MP Jo Hersey tabled the petition in Parliament, urging the government to “restore some measure of law and order”.
“Territorians say ‘enough is enough’, not only in Alice Springs and Darwin, but also in Katherine,” Ms Hersey said.
“The locals of Katherine are passionate about their city and it breaks their hearts to see criminals break the law.”
Crime rates have increased significantly in Katherine over the past year.
In the year to January, property crime increased by more than 80 percent on average over the previous decade.
Crimes against the person, including murder, assault and robbery, increased 57 percent over the same period.
