NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Hamilton dairy owner installs metal security cage after machete attack

By Michael Neilson & Belinda Feek
NZ Herald·
2 Apr, 2018 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

After being slashed with a machete in a brutal robbery a Hamilton dairy owner has taken security into his own hands.

After being slashed with a machete in a brutal robbery, a Hamilton dairy owner has installed a metal cage at the entrance to his shop.

Earlier this month Emm Jay Dairy owner Sandip Patel was left with a fractured skull and a gash to the head after an attack with a machete by two mask-wearing robbers, who also had an axe.

This week Patel installed the cage with a magnetic door so he can screen those entering his dairy in Hamilton East.

"The attack was very scary," Patel said.

Patel's nephew Purak Patel said a customer had entered the shop in Hamilton East after the assault and called for help. Purak said the robbers fled the scene with cash from the till and cigarettes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Two men, aged 16 and 17, have since been arrested in relation to the incident.

It was the second robbery at the dairy in six months, after a midnight ram-raid in November, but one of many in Hamilton this year.

Since the attack there had been a greater police presence in the area, but the locking cage doors would make him and his customers feel more safe, Patel said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Now if somebody comes along with their hood up or a bandanna I will ask them to take it off before I let them in, otherwise they can go somewhere else."

Emm-Jay Dairy owner Sandip Patel, right, with neighbour Paresh Raikar stand outside his new iron security gates to keep him and his family safe after a violent aggravated robbery. Photo/Belinda Feek
Emm-Jay Dairy owner Sandip Patel, right, with neighbour Paresh Raikar stand outside his new iron security gates to keep him and his family safe after a violent aggravated robbery. Photo/Belinda Feek

The doors will lock automatically after two seconds.

"This is a very good system for me, makes me feel more comfortable, and good for customers too. They say they will feel more safe too."

Parkwood Supervalue owner Manish Thakkar, who organised a meeting of about 100 Waikato dairy owners, supported Patel's new venture but said he may lose some customers who might be intimidated by the security measures.

Discover more

New Zealand|crime

Working behind a cage: Dairy owners take drastic measures

24 Mar 04:00 PM
New Zealand|crime

Dairy owner: Tobacco giant 'treating us very badly'

29 Mar 04:00 PM
New Zealand|crime

Desperate dairy owners appeal for fog cannons

25 Mar 05:52 AM
New Zealand

Men armed with hammers rob Rotorua dairy

29 Mar 05:13 PM

"It is another option but it's not that cheap. People expect that dairies should be open all the time and he might lose customers because they will feel offended like, 'why, we are good people, why are we being treated like this?'"

There were up to eight other Hamilton dairy owners who were now in the process of also getting the security system installed.

"Everyone has contacted me, 'yes Manish we are going to do this thing as well' ... customers might not like it but we've got no choice nowadays, eh. I'm also thinking about having it in my Sandwich Rd shop."

He said the cage system cost about $8000 to $9000.

Sandip Patel has installed a security cage at the entrance to his store after robbers took cash and cigarettes.  Photo / Belinda Feek
Sandip Patel has installed a security cage at the entrance to his store after robbers took cash and cigarettes. Photo / Belinda Feek

In Auckland, Avondale's Coffee and Gems has security bars on its shop.

Owner Louise Brinsden said it wasn't uncommon for jewellery stores to install security gates but it was for the safety of not only her staff but also her customers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She sympathised with dairy owners and said they might notice a lull in customer numbers initially but they should come back.

"I don't blame the dairy owners... why should they not be able to protect themselves?"

A police spokeswoman said police worked closely with store owners, industry support groups and other agencies.

However, crime prevention was something that everybody could help with.

"The businesses being targeted for these crimes are part of our community, they provide an important service. We should all be taking an interest in their wellbeing and supporting them to be safe.

"Police cannot do it on our own."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

REDUCE THE ROBBERY RISK

• Improve visibility in the store,
• Make items of high value harder to access, such as keeping cigarettes,
• Install low cost deterrents such as CCTV and audible alarms,
• Get local police to tailor advice to your specific circumstances.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Crime

How two child sex abuse survivors brought 'monster' to justice

01 Jul 05:06 AM
New Zealand|crimeUpdated

Customs seizes 150kg of cocaine bricks marked 'good luck' in Tauranga

01 Jul 05:00 AM
Politics

New Reserve Bank board member revealed – and he's a familiar face

01 Jul 04:07 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

How two child sex abuse survivors brought 'monster' to justice

How two child sex abuse survivors brought 'monster' to justice

01 Jul 05:06 AM

'Accountability matters,' one of his victims said as she confronted him after 30 years.

Customs seizes 150kg of cocaine bricks marked 'good luck' in Tauranga

Customs seizes 150kg of cocaine bricks marked 'good luck' in Tauranga

01 Jul 05:00 AM
New Reserve Bank board member revealed – and he's a familiar face

New Reserve Bank board member revealed – and he's a familiar face

01 Jul 04:07 AM
'Hysterics': Pet dog Shiva swept into drains during flooding found safe 24 hours later

'Hysterics': Pet dog Shiva swept into drains during flooding found safe 24 hours later

01 Jul 04:00 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP