K’ Road shop owners’ despair: ‘I come to work every day ready to fight’

Haytham Akil has owned a dairy on K' Road for the past 20 years. Photo / RNZ

By Rayssa Almeida of RNZ

Business owners on Karangahape Road in Auckland say they don’t go a day without being robbed or harassed.

K’ Road is home to more than 400 businesses, and is known for its variety of restaurants, coffee shops and boisterous nightlife.

But street crime is also a part of K’ Road, where there is a visible presence of drug and alcohol abuse in broad daylight.

Andy Xu has had his stationery shop in K’ Road for more than 12 years.

He said hiring new staff has become problematic in the past year, as candidates were afraid to work on the popular street.

“Sometimes we hire staff, and they say ‘Where’s your shop? K’ Road? Oh sorry, I won’t be able to come, it’s too dangerous’,” he said.

With just two people looking after the store and daily robberies, Xu said he was also acting as the store’s security guard.

“The other day, two guys stole sunglasses from the store, and we tried to follow them and ask for the item back.

“One of the guys had a knife and threatened us with it. So, we got scared, stopped and called the police.”

A block away, Haytham Akil has owned a dairy on K’ Road for the past 20 years.

In the front of his shop, he put up dozens of pictures of people caught by CCTV stealing from the dairy.

“I stopped putting them up, I have no more space on the wall, there are so many [pictures of people stealing].”

In the front of Haytham Akil's shop, he has put up dozens of pictures of people caught on CCTV stealing. Photo / RNZ

He now has limited the number of people allowed inside the store to four, blocking the front door with stools.

“Even with the stools, with the signs, even just having four people inside, they still come in, rob and run and sometimes walk away. It just became normal for them.

“You have kids, eight or nine years old. You have older people, [aged] 60, 70. They don’t steal because they need it, it just became normal to them.”

Akil said harassment, crime and violence have long been part of his workday.

“I come to work every day ready to fight - we must be ready.

“Last time, one came and stole something in front of me. I left the customer at the counter and followed the man.

“After I took the item from him, he got a screwdriver and tried to attack me - just because I asked him to leave.”

He said petty crime was so common that business owners needed to act on the spot.

“One time, a 17-year-old entered my store to rob from me. Police refused to come, so I took his bag and found a knife in it.

“If he had come [for] me, I would have died.”

Akil said after dozens of robberies, he feels helpless.

“And the police, when they arrest someone in the morning - in the afternoon they are free again, and come straight back to K’ Road.”

Business owners on Karangahape Road in Auckland say they don't go a day without being robbed or harassed. Photo / RNZ

Manggi Singh has owned a dairy on K’ Road for two decades.

While he was talking to RNZ, a group of five people were just outside his shop consuming drugs and having drinks while listening to loud music.

“They are always here; I even know them. Look at them. The sun is out, and they are smoking crack, smoking dope, just outside the shop - you can smell it from here.”

Singh said drug abuse in front of his business has scared customers away.

“They are literally outside the shop, outside the restaurants, in broad daylight. It’s not good for business at all, it scares customers away.

“It happens so often that the police don’t even come any more, and if they do, a few hours later another group using drugs will come and take the spot.”

RNZ had access to a group chat where businesses on K’ Road share daily footage from CCTV of abuse, harassment and crime inside and outside their properties.

The videos show street fights, gang activity, robberies and property damage throughout the day. Business owners share information about potential offenders.

Karangahape Road Business Association general manager Jamey Holloway said alcohol abuse and anti-social behaviour is not common, but happened way too often.

“What we would like to see is more proactive enforcement of the liquor ban. A lot of the problems that we have [on K’ Road] like violence and crime, the precursor to that is alcohol and drug abuse.”

‘We are working with the community’ - Auckland Council

In a statement, Auckland Council said it is working closely with the community to understand the safety concerns.

“We work closely with the police, the K’ Road Business Association and our community partners to understand the specific safety concerns that those in the area have, including leading the Central City Community Safety Taskforce and regularly attending the K’ Road Business Association’s safety meetings.”

Head of community impact Dickie Humphries said the council also provides funding for community outreach partners who know and work closely with some of the most vulnerable members of the K’ Road community.

“While not specifically related to K’ Road, Auckland Transport has developed advice for businesses around protecting themselves against ram-raids, and the council’s website also has practical advice for residents and workers on anti-social and community safety issues.”

Humphries said the police continue to be the lead agency when it comes to the focus on crime, and the council will support them in any way it reasonably can.

Through a statement, the police said it responds to any calls to service in any area when required and, at this stage, there is no planned operation focusing on one specific street.

“Currently, police are running seasonal visibility campaigns targeting road policing activity and alcohol consumption in the Auckland CBD.”