Dairy owner calls for tasers

Kiran and Mita Patel's new dairy has been targeted by violent robbers in the past but they say that hasn't put them off.

Despite saying he feels safe, Mr Patel, the new owner of the Ranolf St Superette, said he would feel better if he was allowed to possess a taser of some kind to fend off would-be robbers.

The safety of dairy workers has been in the spotlight this week after a Manurewa shop worker was stabbed to death on Friday.

Rotorua has also been the scene of some violent dairy robberies. In 2003, the then owner of the Ranolf Street Superette, Jayanti Gosai, was hit in the head with a piece of wood by a robber who knocked her husband, Bharti, unconscious.

Mrs Gosai had surgery in Waikato Hospital for fractures on her eye socket and cheek.

Mrs Gosai was attacked again by an armed robber who hit her arm with a baseball bat, breaking the bone.

The Patels took over the Ranolf Street Superette a year ago.

"Every business has its risks," Mrs Patel said.

In the year that they have owned the dairy, the couple say they have had no major troubles.

"Around once a month we have someone run off without paying, but nothing too big."

He said a taser would come in handy.

"It would be good to have it as protection, so we could shock them then get away."

The dairy has an alarm in place and has security cameras.

"The cameras are on all the time," Mrs Patel said.

Mr and Mrs Patel were told about the violent attacks before they purchased the business but they said that didn't put them off.

Saishwar Krishna Naidu was stabbed to death on Friday afternoon in a Manurewa dairy. Mr Naidu was working in his family's Finlayson Superette.

The death has prompted Wellington's Neil Patel to call for dairy workers to have the right to bear arms for protection.

Mr Patel, who has been in the dairy business for 30 years, has said the law needed to be changed so shop staff could have weapons.

"Do you wait until you get killed and then you go to the police and the police come and fix you? No. He or she should be given rights to protect themselves by any means," he said.

Raman Ranchod, owner of Saint Andrews Superette on Otonga Rd, said he wouldn't expect anything like the Auckland attack to happen in Rotorua. "I don't feel safe working here with what has been going on but this area is not too bad."

Mr Ranchod has owned the dairy for eight years.

"We have had a few people running out and not paying but no major incidents."

For security, Mr Ranchod has the dairy monitored by a security firm. "As soon as the alarm goes off, they know."

He also agrees that shop workers should be allowed to defend themselves.

"I've got a wooden bat thing behind the counter, I don't know if I would use it though," he said.



DAIRY ATTACKS

January 27, 2008: Hastings dairy owner, Anurag Sachdeva confronted by a man with a knife. The owner's hands were injured and the thief ran off with a packet of cigarettes. January 25, 2008: Saishwar Krishna Naidu was stabbed to death by a robber in a Manurewa dairy.


January 2008: Keri Lang in Blenheim was closing up the store she worked in when two masked men with knives entered and demanded everything.

October 24, 2007: A man attempted to rob a Manurewa superette with a slug gun. August 28, 2007: Susan Kishar, from an Auckland superette, was left with stitches after being hit in the face by a robber.