Dairies across the country have closed their doors today to protest the rising number of burglaries and to stand in solidarity after the death of Janek Patel who died in an aggravated robbery. Video / NZ Herald
A protest outside Jacinda Ardern’s Mt Albert electorate office in Morningside has grown heated, with shopkeepers and community members in the streets holding signs reading “enough is enough” and calling for harsher penalties for those who commit retail crime.
Many dairies across the country have shut their stores today for two hours in protest at rising burglaries and in solidarity after 34-year-old Janak Patel died on the job in an alleged aggravated robbery at the Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham.
An hour into the demonstration, the crowd spilled off the footpath and into the streets, as police tried to clear the road.
At 2pm, Auckland Transport warned commuters to avoid the Morningside area and to expect delays.
Bus route 20 is using a detour missing the following bus stops. Stop 8216 - Morningside Station Stop 8217 - Morningside Station Stop 8218 - Rocky Nook Avenue Stop 8219 - Rocky Nook Avenue For alternative transport options use Journey Planner on AT Mobile. ^WC https://t.co/nysua0MJckpic.twitter.com/LQ8z6sSOuW
— Auckland Transport Travel Alerts (@AT_TravelAlerts) November 28, 2022
Police are urging protesters to move on to allow the road to reopen to traffic.
“I know exactly what your frustration is and we don’t intend to use force to move people off, but we need to move people off the main road soon,” Greg Sowter senior sergeant said.
“We certainly support their right to protest.”
Among those gathered outside the office is Kalidas Patel, father of Janak.
Through tears, he said wanted the harshest penalty for the offender. He does not want “another Janak Patel”.
The crowd chanted “enough is enough, we need justice”.
Wellington Indian Association president Dipak Bhana , centre, with dairy owners holding a minute's silence outside Grant Robertson's elecorate office in Wellington. 28 November, 2022. NZ Herald photograph by Mark Mitchell
Act leader David Seymour joined those protesting outside the Prime Minister’s electorate office.
Speaking to media in Tauranga, National leader Christopher Luxon said he had visited the Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham to pay respects to Patel and also attended a vigil in Hamilton yesterday.
”I hope the Prime Minister and Cabinet are waking up and getting their head in the game and are actually going to come out with some real concrete proposals that address both those concerns of victims and dealing with serious offenders,” he said.
He said there was “immense frustration” among victims of ram raids and aggravated burglaries because “the Government is not backing them” or being tough enough on serious repeat offenders.
Luxon said he had met with fearful dairy owners across New Zealand, and spoke of one Hamilton retailer he met yesterday who had been ram-raided five times over five days by the same offenders.
”What the Government doesn’t understand is that these are New Zealanders that have worked incredibly hard. They have often had two to three jobs to get a deposit together for that business. They then work incredibly hard in that business to do everything that we ask them to do.”
“They try and give their kids opportunities they didn’t get to have, they have come to New Zealand often leaving everything behind with hope of a new future. It’s all destroyed when a ram raid or a senseless act of violent crime like that occurs.
“You have really got to put yourself in their shoes because when I talk to them they don’t want to take a telephone call after 9.30 or 10 o’clock at night because they are worried it’s another ram raid call.”
Earlier today, all dairies in the Grey Lynn shop centre closed their doors in solidarity.
A 34-year-old man was arrested on Friday and charged with aggravated robbery and murder following Patel’s death.
A second man, 42, was also arrested and has been charged with robbery. Both men were remanded in custody on Saturday.
A third person has also been charged with robbery. The 36-year-old man appeared in the Auckland District Court today.
He was granted interim name suppression and was remanded in custody ahead of a bail hearing set down for December 5 in the Auckland District Court.
Raj and Dharmesh Patel closes the Sumit Dairy on Great North Road, Grey, Lynn, Auckland as dairies around New Zealand stage a protest agaisnt rising violence and the death of the Rose Cottage worker Janak Patel. Photo / Dean Purcell
In Wellington, a minute’s silence was held outside Grant Robertson’s electorate office, before the crowd started chanting “enough is enough” and “we want justice”.
In Whangārei, around 60 people gathered in protest outside a Labour electorate office. The protest began at the office of Whangārei MP Emily Henderson and Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis began around 1pm.
The group is made up of dairy owners, workers and members of the local community who are upset after the killing of dairy worker Patel.
Ralph Correa of the Northland Indian Association said protesters were standing in solidarity with the man who was killed and wanted to protest a lack of action on crime.
“We want a safer community and we want people held to justice,” he said.
“There’s a lot of talk and [the Government] saying there’s minimal crime when it’s just the opposite.”
“Every one of them feels that it’s dangerous to even try to earn a living.”
Protesters outside the offices in Whangārei. Photo / Angela Woods
A Whangārei dairy owner said running a dairy - or any retail business - had been dangerous for years.
“Every day there’s a threat, there’s no law and order. I can rob you and nothing will happen.”
He said he believed people were robbing dairies for enjoyment, rather than for money.
“This Government, I think, is too polite,” he said.
Shopkeepers protest outside Jacinda Arderns electorate office in responswe to the death of Janak Patel. Photo / Joey Dwyer
Govt ‘doesn’t want to change the law’
While some dairy owners approached by the Northern Advocate declined to speak, they had notices announcing the nationwide vigil clearly displayed outside their stores.
A Givealittle page has been set up for Patel’s family and has raised more than $65,000 following the “senseless killing.”
“This senseless, needless act of violence has destroyed a life full of promise. It has robbed our community of someone trying to make a positive contribution from behind the counter,” the page read.
Patel, who recently married, confronted a thief who stole a cash register from the store. He was fatally stabbed outside and, while he managed to make it back to the dairy, he died from his injuries.
The death sparked an outpouring of grief and anger in the community.
Last week a memorial of flowers and tributes were laid outside the Rose Cottage Superette and many gathered to pay their respects at a candlelit vigil.
A service was held for Patel yesterday at Anns Funeral Home in Wiri.
The 34-year-old’s wife, parents, sisters and other family were among the mourners, as was Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who hugged Patel’s widow Vijeta during the event.
Ardern said she attended the funeral because she had received an invitation and it was in her community.
She said as the local MP she wanted to do right by the family.
“Sitting amongst his family and friends.. brings back the fact that a life has been taken and family’s lives have been shattered.”
Janak Patel was fatally stabbed after a robbery of the Rose Cottage. Photo / Supplied
MPs and former politicians - including Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Mark Mitchell, Michael Wood and Kawaljit Singh Bakshi – attended the service, as did Detective Inspector Scott Beard who is leading the investigation into Patel’s death.
Patel, those gathered were told, was born in the Indian city of Navsari and “had a great love for his country and culture”, enjoying the Garba form of dance which originates from his home state of Gujarat.
The master of ceremonies at the service, Mitesh Dhanji, said Patel and his wife had a “dream to run their own business”.
They had only relocated from Hamilton to Auckland last week to run the Sandringham dairy while its owners were overseas.
Patel migrated to the United Kingdom for 10 years after finishing his education. Like many, Janak and Vijeta were separated by Covid-19 border closures and he was only able to join his wife in New Zealand in April of this year.
