By Gurbir Singh (Hamilton,New Zealand), 19 March,2018:
Crime wave continues to make headlines across New Zealand with dairy (convenience stores) owners bearing the brunt of aggravated attacks by armed robbers to steal cigarettes and cash.
Number of such attacks are increasing daily and has been making headlines in Hamilton, about 150 kms from Auckland.
At least four shop owners have been attacked, robbed by masked robbers with hammers, machete and axe, leaving one with a fractured skull, injuries on arms, and another with serious eye injury that may leave him blind.
All these have occurred in the past week or so.
After these brazen robberies, nearly 70 small store owners and associates met yesterday to vent their anger and find solutions.
National party MPs, David Bennett and Kanwaljit Bakshi, Labour List MP Jamie Strange and Nigel Keall of Hamilton Police attended the meeting convened by Manish Thakkar, owner of SuperValue Parkwood.
Kanwaljit Bakshi,MP, seen with victims of robbery
Many dairy owners held small placards with messages: "Enough now, don't wait until someone dies" and "Stop pampering criminals and give proper sentence to robbers”.
The general sentiment of the participants was that of ‘enough is enough’.
"All retailers in Hamilton are starting to feel helpless with no support from the police or the politicians...What kind of society are we living in where there are attacks with hammers and machetes?”, asked
He demanded “vending machines, a cashless country and harder laws” as offenders end up only doing a few hours' community work or a very short jail terms if they are caught.
Aggravated robberies jumped 87 per cent in the year to May 2017, with more than 1200 nationwide. Cigarettes were among the main targets.
As most dairies rely on tobacco for 50 to 60 per cent of their sales, shop owners are demanding harsher punishments and installation of vending machines with costs to be met by cigarette companies.
In his address, National's Hamilton East MP, David Bennett shared his concern as "this (robberies) is happening on an hourly basis in Hamilton at the moment," and agreed for a need to have higher sanctions in place.
National MP, David Bennett, with protesting dairy owners
He suggested disciplinary boot camps for such youth offenders.
Hamilton Labour List MP, Jamie Strange supported the return of a community policing model and said he would be making recommendations to his government. He also mentioned the government’s proposal to strengthen the police force with another 1800 police officers in the next three years.
Last year, the National government had announced funding of $1.8 million for dairies to be equipped with ultra-sonic sirens, fog cannons and DNA spray as a safeguard to violent robberies.
But as businesses were to contribute 50 per cent of the cost, there were few takers.
The current Labour government, however, has updated that scheme making it at-risk business owners to contribute no more than $250 towards a fog cannon.
Twenty dairies have already now installed fog cannons with another 17 in the queue.
However, fog cannon did not deter robbers in last week’s robbery at a local Caltex petrol pump as they were still able to steal.
Shop owners do not have high hopes unless government comes down heavily on offenders or gives them the right of self defence to protect themselves and their property.
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Gurbir Singh is a Hamilton,New Zealand based freelance Feature Writer & Journalist. You can contact him at: gurbir@journalist.com