By JENNY YUEN, Toronto SUN

Chinatown business associations want bolstered police patrols after a supermarket owner's wife and two employees were recently assaulted by an accused shoplifter.

Two months after Lucky Moose owner David Chen was charged with kidnapping and assaulting a person he alleges was stealing from his store, a similar incident occurred July 18 at Wah Lung Supermarket on Spadina Ave.

"We want them to help with some short-term solutions," Ralph Hui, immediate past-president of the Toronto Chinese Business Association (TCBA)  and Chinatown festival chariman, said at a press conference yesterday.

The call for more patrol officers was echoed by the Toronto Chinese Business Association (TCBA).

"If they have more police in pairs walking the streets for at least two or three weeks, it will minimize these occurrences," Hui said.

Employees of Wah Lung said they saw a woman conceal groceries in her clothes without paying for them.

When confronted outside the store, the woman went back in and allegedly punched the owner's wife, said Const. Tony Vella.

In a letter to Supt. Hugh Ferguson of 52 Division, the TCBA expressed concerns that police didn't immediately charge the alleged shoplifter.

"It may send a message to the public that the Toronto Police force is condoning crimes to be committed in Chinatown," said Stephen Chan, chairman of the CBIA.

It's not always clear what's gone on when officers arrive, Vella said, and if the case requires more investigation, the Crime Investigation Bureau interviews more witnesses.

The TCBIA is encouraging Chinatown shopkeepers to report even the smallest incidents to police so there will be available data to back up requests for more officers.