Bay retailers to get slice of $6m fund to fight ram raids six months after it was established

Seven Bay retailers are set to receive a portion of a $6 million fund to beef up their defences against ram raids with fog cannons, bollards or roller doors. Photo / NZME

Seven Bay of Plenty retailers are set to receive a slice of a $6 million fund to beef up their defences against ram raids with fog cannons, bollards and other security measures.

It comes six months after the Small Retailer Crime Prevention Fund was announced in May to help small business owners hit by ram raids.

To date, no equipment has been provided to Bay businesses. But an Official Information Act request has revealed police were waiting on quotes from suppliers for seven retailers.

Police said they were identifying eligible small business retailers by analysing data on ram raids and speaking with owners. Solutions could include installing a fog cannon, siren, alarm, roller doors, solid planter boxes or bollards.

The $6m fund is part of the Retail Crime Prevention Programme and is paid for from the Proceeds of Crime Fund.

The owners of a Rotorua store repeatedly targeted by ram raiders said their business was "on the brink" and they would be "thankful" for any security equipment as installing anything on their own could cost "thousands".

Rotorua Jewellers owners Jannine and Rod Pearce did not wish to reveal if they were one of the seven businesses talking to police about the funding.

Rotorua Jewellers owners Rod and Jannine Pearce after their shop was ram-raided last month. Photo / Andrew Warner

Their Rotorua store had been broken into three times in six months. Their Te Puke store was also hit twice in the same timeframe.

Jannine Pearce said their Rotorua store was the worst hit and, financially, it was "borderline" whether they would have to close it.

She said more protection would encourage them to stay open. The store already had a good camera and alarm system but it did not stop offenders from "driving a car through the door".

However, Rotorua dairy owner Raj Kumar believed a greater frontline police presence was "the best prevention" and should be prioritised over providing retailers with security equipment.

Kumar said unless there were more police to visit retailers and speak to offenders and their families, other measures were "just a waste of time".

"I think it's just a knee-jerk reaction.

"Putting a fog cannon in the shop doesn't mean it's going to stop the crime - it just means when the crime happens it can be mitigated."

Rotorua MP Todd McClay said, in his view, it was the Government's fault police were making what he described as "slow progress" in distributing the security equipment.

McClay said while well-resourced frontline policing was "most important", small businesses being repeatedly targeted by ram raids and robberies needed protection "urgently".

"They announced the amount of money but there was no criteria as to how it would be used or around decision-making - and they have left it to the police to work out while they are ... trying to deal with a significant increase in crime.

"The faster we can get the resources around protecting these businesses out there, then crime will drop. You can't ram-raid a shop when it has been protected - and for these businesses it is imperative."

Rotorua Chamber chief executive Bryce Heard. Photo / Andrew Warner

Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Bryce Heard said "something had to be done".

He said while bollards, fog cannons, alarms, roller doors and cameras could be effective countermeasures, the cost of the equipment was "out of reach" for small retailers without financial support.

"We need to keep in mind that the retailers are the victims in this, not the perpetrators, so any help will be welcomed."

A Rotorua dairy owner, who did not wish to be named for fear of being targeted, said he contacted police after his business was robbed a couple of months ago asking for a fog cannon and was told they were "looking into it".

But he did not know if or when it would be given to him.

He estimated it would cost him around $3500 if he had to buy one himself.

"I don't know how long it will take. There is no timeline.

"There is not much support out there apart from the police offering you fog cannons after you have been robbed a couple of times. There are no preventative measures."

The man said fog cannons were a "very good deterrent" that he had used twice before at a previous business.

"The assailant cannot see what they are stealing or who they are attacking. You might save yourself a beating. They don't know what they are stealing, they panic and leave."

The man said he wanted to go "a step further" to keep his staff safe and was looking to build a "protective area" around his store using timber and jump wire.

In response, police said a fog cannon was requested for the man's business in March and had been since approved. It would be installed in "due course" as supplies were rolled out across the district.

Information released under the Official Information Act showed no security equipment had been provided to Bay businesses under the small retailer fund, but police expected that to change in the "coming weeks".

Police staff were completing assessments of retailers' security needs and identifying appropriate solutions, the written statement said.

They were waiting on quotes from suppliers for seven Bay businesses to provide them with "necessary" security equipment, including bollards, fog cannons, alarms, sound bars, roller doors, cameras or planter boxes.

Police were working "at pace" to "advance" the programme as soon as possible.

Some 34 fog cannons had been supplied to retailers nationwide through other initiatives, with two given to Bay businesses.

Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson. Photo / Andrew Warner

Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said police understood the "frustration and stress" business owners were experiencing.

"The community can be reassured that not only are police actively investigating, but we are also working with partners to address the root causes of why this offending is happening."

As of October 27, 187 stores nationwide had been contacted by the Retail Prevention Crime Programme staff.

Of those, 104 had completed a police assessment and 71 had been allocated to a supplier for protective equipment to be installed.

Seven retailers in New Zealand have already had protective equipment installed and a further 64 sites were under way.

Police Minister Chris Hipkins said the Government had increased frontline police in the Bay by 108 "over and above attrition", which was an increase of more than 16 per cent since 2017.

"I'm advised that fog cannons have been installed at several businesses in Bay of Plenty as part of our programme to roll out 1000 fog cannons across the country..." he said.