Worker feared for life as men armed with hammers rob Rotorua dairy

Hillcrest dairy on Jervis St. Photo/Stephen Parker

A woman says she feared for her life when two men armed with hammers robbed the Rotorua dairy she was working at.

It's the second time in just over a month the Hillcrest Dairy on Jervis St has been robbed and Jewan Preet was working both times.

A police spokeswoman said two men entered the dairy about 11.30am today armed with hammers and stole cash and damaged a cigarette cabinet.

They left in a white van. No one was injured, she said.

Preet was in a back room when "two guys came and jumped over the counter", she told the Rotorua Daily Post.

At one point one of the men smashed a hole in a wall near her head with the hammer, she said.

She was forced to unlock the till as she feared for her life.

Owner Lakhwinder Singh said the robbers escaped with almost all the cigarettes and $1000 in cash. But they left behind a hammer and fingerprints.

It's the second time in just over a month the dairy had been robbed, Singh said.

Hillcrest dairy on Jervis St. Photo/Stephen Parker

The first robbery, on February 23 around 6.30pm saw cigarettes and money stolen by someone weilding a knife, Singh said.

Singh said he didn't know how to increase security as he couldn't afford to have two staff working all the time. He suggested a higher police presence.

"I don't know what else we can do," he said.

"We just want police to do something. They could have hurt her [Preet] and she can't just leave. Someone has to work here. It doesn't matter who it is, it's not safe."

Police want to hear from anyone in the area at the time of the robbery or anyone with information that could help.

They can call Rotorua police on (07) 349 9590 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 11.