Police spread 1080 safety tips

Whangarei Constable Nathaniel Blair talks to dairy owner Jayesh Patel about increased security around baby formula products as part of Operation Concord.Photo / John Stone

Northland dairies, service stations, superettes, and pharmacies are being advised to increase security for infant formula products in the wake of the 1080 blackmail threat.

Police area prevention teams have this week spoken with 123 retailers throughout the region about removing products from shelves and keeping them secured or under strict surveillance.

There have been no reports of suspected tampering in Northland but, on Wednesday, the national police Operation Concord team received calls from members of the public concerned with possible infant formula product tampering, such as possible pinpricks in packaging lids. The tins, from Christchurch, were being assessed as part of the police investigation.

Police had visited dairies, service stations, superettes, and pharmacies. Sixty were in the Far North, a further 34 around Whangarei and 29 in the Kaipara and Whangarei Heads areas.

Jayesh Patel, owner of Destination Dairy on Riverside Dr Whangarei, was visited by police yesterday but had already removed sachets of baby formula from his shelves and taken them out the back of the store. The father of a 4-year-old daughter said, when it came to children, there was no need to take risks.

"We can't take any risks especially with the kids," he said. "I'm not selling the big tins just the small packets. But it doesn't matter if it's big or small we have to keep these items safe."

He said he would not be selling the products again until the scare was over and instead he would be directing people to his competitors.

Whangarei Constable Nathaniel Blair said retailers of the products were being advised to check for any signs of tampering and to keep the items under CCTV watch or keep them close to the till. Mr Blair said some business owners were unaware and had not heard the news reports.

"When we explained they were understanding and some owners were even taking it off the shelves as they were being spoken to."

At the same time, officers were giving general crime prevention advice. Since news of the 1080 threat broke, supermarkets have ramped up security - with some keeping the tins behind counters and others positioning CCTV cameras for surveillance on shelves. The threat stemmed from anonymous letters sent to Fonterra and Federated Farmers in November saying infant formula products would be laced with 1080 unless the Government stopped using the poison.