Both the Riverina and Wagga have seen a significant decline in the number of recorded break and enters into commercial properties over the past two years, but the damage sustained by those recorded cases has seen businesses buckle under the cost.

Break and enters into non-dwellings remain about double the NSW average, according to the latest report by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

One small business in Wagga which was recently the victim of a break and enter is Carlo's Cafe on Morgan Street. The crime occurred on August 21 after close of business when the offender, or offenders, forced their way into the cafe through the back entrance.

Owner Brad Neal said it was doubly difficult to recover from the incident amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Particularly in a period where hospitality has already been quite impacted by COVID-19, it's extremely challenging to have another unnecessary setback like that," he said.

While those responsible did not get away with any goods or cash, the cost of repairs was enough for Mr Neal to feel the blow.

"The damage was quite substantial and quite expensive, so all up it cost us almost $5000 to fix," he said.

"That's a really big impact on a small business like us who are already trying to keep up with the changed cash flow brought on by COVID.

Mr Neal said while the issue was something that needed attention, it was hard to arrive at a specific solution.

"For us, we have 24-hour CCTV footage and security alarms which definitely was a deterrent once they broke in, but honestly, I'm not sure what a viable solution would be," he said.

"Police resources are obviously important, and businesses need to have a range of security measures in place to protect themselves."

The support from the community was paramount to their recovery though, according to Mr Neal.

"We certainly felt very well supported by the local police, they were really responsive, and also by our loyal customers and other small businesses in the area," he said.

Another business to fall victim to criminals was Lake Albert Foodworks, which was hit by thieves twice in a period of six months.

The first incident occurred in December last year when thieves held up the store at gun point, getting away with cigarettes and cash, however the next incident saw the city's break and enter tally jump by one.

The store was ram raided in a stolen vehicle in June this year.

A silver Nissan Navara sedan was stolen from a home in River Road, Gobbagombalin between 12am and 2am on June 6, which was then used about 3.40am that morning to drive into the supermarket.

For the Riverina, the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research recorded a 20.1 per cent decline in break and enters over the 24 months prior to June this year.

Wagga saw a similar decline of 20.2 per cent over the same period.

However, that still leaves a total of 869 incidents in the 24 months to June 2020 across the Riverina, and 302 break and enters into non-dwellings for Wagga.

Comparatively, those figures equate to 2.2 times as many incidents in the Riverina than the NSW average per 100,000 people, or 1.8 times as many for Wagga alone.