Kiwi-Indian retailers have welcomed the government’s recent move to increase support for businesses hit by ram raids and burglaries, but say lots more needs to be done.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Police Minister Ginny Andersen last week announced the government will more than double its support for businesses targeted by ram raids and aggravated robberies.
As per the announcement on April 21, 2023, the government has added $9 million to Retail Crime Prevention Fund, bringing the total support to $15 million.
Retail Crime Prevention Programme, managed by the police, was set up in 2022 amid a dramatic post-pandemic spike in ram raids. It is intended to deliver protective equipment and additional prevention advice for retailers to reduce the risk of harm to the community, and also support the health and safety of retailers and their staff.
The funding will be used to provide security systems, bollards, and fog cannons to businesses targeted by ram raids and aggravated robberies.
Several small businesses hit by the ongoing retail crime wave are owned or managed by Kiwi-Indians. The Indian Weekender spoke to community leaders to know their take on the government’s move, and whether it would make a difference.
Sunny Kaushal, Chair, Dairy & Business Owners Group
Any increase in funding and resources to stop crime is a good step, provided its implementation is faster, but we have to be careful this is not double-digit accounting.
The risk is that one year’s budgeted figure, as in 2022-23 if unspent, slides into the following year.
So, is this a re-announcement of a re-announcement or actual new spending? From the previous funding announcements, there are about 290 businesses that have been approved [for security equipment], but there is no idea when they will get installed.
The minister also appears out of touch with reality when she is bragging about a crime reduction when there has been an over 500 per cent increase in ram raids since 2018. The situation has become so bad that a business is being ram-raided every 10 hours. What's down is the level of reporting because people have lost faith that there is any accountability. As per the latest report, there is 75 per cent underreporting. But it does not mean they do not occur because there’s a loss of faith in the system.
Put yourself in the shoes of a dairy owner. You catch a 14-year-old you know won't even face youth court, and that you would need to close the shop to give a statement to the police…it's loaded against small businesses.
Take retail burglaries. Our thin blue line only brought 19 per cent to justice, meaning an 81 per cent chance of getting away scot-free over a 272-day period. Who committed the crimes? Forty nine per cent were under the age of 17. That's the issue. If you don't record a crime, it does not mean it did not happen.
Dhansukh Lal, President, Auckland Indian Association Inc.
We are pleased with the announcement of an extra $9 million for retail crime prevention. The Police have been working with retailers, and quite a few retailers have had fog cannons, security cameras and bollards installed.
Our only concern is the speed at which these are installed. The recent figures we received were that there were 215 shops assessed and 145 installations completed.
Overall, we are happy with police responses to burglaries and ram raids, but the judiciary needs to act accordingly.
Narendra Bhana, President, New Zealand Indian Central Association
It is great to see the government is committed to preventing retail crime in New Zealand. The additional investment into the Retail Crime Prevention Programme is welcome news for the business community.
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