NEW YORK - Bodega owners are asking for help as the city deals with an increase in crime.

United Bodegas of America says there has been surge in burglaries, assaults and shootings in and around bodegas this year.

Owners met with Police Commissioner Dermot Shea on Wednesday to ask for more assistance from the police department, but the discussion did not go as they hoped.

"What we got from this meeting is, fold your arms and let it happen because there's nothing we nor the cops can do about it. So, we are left in limbo. Not because Commissioner Shea doesn't want to help. He'll help us as much as he can, but it's the court system, it's the judges," said United Bodegas of America President Fernando Mateo.

Bodega owners also say they face confrontations with customers when enforcing mask policies, and are asking for police to help with that as well.