Kiri Gillespie: Bay of Plenty ram raids cowardly and lazy but their impact shouldn’t be underestimated

OPINION

Ram raids are a cowardly crime.

These burglars steal someone else’s car and use it as a battering ram to enter a closed, unstaffed store. They create untold damage to the car and store, steal what they are after — and take off.

It’s a lazy crime but it has far-reaching consequences for victims.

Many Bay of Plenty businesses have been subjected to ram raids, including Tauranga’s Matua Dairy and Papamoa Plaza.

At the weekend, the Challenge service station in Rotorua’s Malfroy Rd was subjected to its second ram raid within eight days. This comes on top of earlier ram raids.

Malfroy Rd Challenge’s Harpreet Singh and his family have been left feeling scared, unsafe, and questioning whether to carry on. Singh says each raid causes a rise in insurance premiums, although he is trying to be optimistic.

“We’ll keep our head above the water — we’ll try our best,” he told the Rotorua Daily Post at the weekend.

The Government announced in May last year a $6 million fund to help small businesses beef up their defences against ram raids — including the use of fog cannons, bollards and other security measures. In November, NZME reported seven Bay of Plenty retailers would get a slice of that money.

Singh says police told him they were going to install bollards at his premises, but he says he is still waiting.

One reader suggested businesses such as Singh’s should electrify their tobacco cabinet but, in my view, this type of suggestion is not practical or reasonable.

It’s important to remember many of these ram raids are being carried out by young people who I believe are being used by older, more-organised criminals too scared to carry out their own dirty work. In some ways, I believe these youths are vulnerable.

One thing is clear cut: these businesses need help.

Not only is repairing the damage costly in time and money but the impact on mental health also should not be underestimated.

The business owners are trying to make an honest living by providing valuable services to our community, but they’ve been hurt by criminals whose actions are simply cruel.

The Government needs to pour more money into security measures and help these people — and ensure the work gets carried out in a timely fashion.

We, the public, can also help by rallying around such businesses and reminding them that our communities are better than this.

So the next time you’re passing by such a business, I’d encourage you to think about what you can do to help.

Is there a bottle of milk needed back home? How about a bag of chips? When you next need $20 of fuel, where will you get it from?

Yes, these are small gestures and they are not going to fix the problem. But perhaps they can be the light these business owners need.

These businesses and the people who run them are valued.

Ram raiders might not think so.

But I do.