She said they have applied for funding to run 'Staying Safe' courses and this incident shows how much they are needed.
Hawke's Bay Today Facebook commenters were quick to react, angrily condemning the incident. Several called for security to be improved in public spaces and all were disgusted.
"This is absolutely outrageous," said Bonnie Conole.
"That poor man, he must have been so frightened."
Police are looking for a man and a woman who were in a faded black car before the incident, during which they got into the man's white hatchback.
The woman is believed to be Maori, aged about 50 with straight, black, shoulder-length hair. The male was a young man.
"This was a brazen and cowardly attack on an elderly man in broad daylight," Williams said.
If you saw the man's car, pictured, driving around Hastings between 3.55pm and 4.30pm on Saturday call Detective Sarah Williams on 06 873 0561 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Meanwhile, police are also investigating a possible robbery in Napier which a vehicle was alleged to have been taken from a suburban street.
The incident was reported on Barnard Ave, Maraenui, just after 9pm, when a person was said to have left one vehicle and attacked the driver of another.
The victim's vehicle was reportedly then driven off but was found abandoned soon afterwards on nearby Masefield Ave, missing some liquor apparently recently bought at a bottle store.
The alleged offender was reported to have been one of four or five in a car thought to have been a dark red Subaru which was being sought by police.
