Hawke’s Bay dairy owners scared by news of Auckland stabbing

Bhavesh, left, and Roshni Patel of the Raureka Superette, along with son Aarav. Photo / Paul Taylor

Roshni Patel never met the victim of Thursday’s fatal superette stabbing, in Auckland.

But Patel knew the victim’s sister - who she said now lives in England - from their formative years in Gujarat, India.

The worker, named on Friday afternoon as Janak Patel, died from knife wounds after confronting a thief who had stolen the cash register from the Rose Cottage Superette in Sandringham.

“I am not from the same town as him, but I know where he’s from. His sister was studying with me,’’ Roshni Patel said.

“So one of my friends told me who it was [that was fatally stabbed]. It hit me... that he is the brother of her and it’s just so sad for him.’’

Patel runs the Raureka Superette and, like many dairy owners in Hawke’s Bay, has become increasingly vigilant about security - and occasionally wary of people who enter their store.

“Around two years ago a man who was not too old - just young - he came here and showed me a carving knife,’’ said Roshni Patel.

“It’s just scary. Business is business, but you need to look after yourself.’’

Hawke’s Bay Today visited six dairies at random on Friday, where five owners were happy to talk. Not all have been robbed or faced would-be robbers brandishing a knife, but each are very security conscious.

Kirti Patel, of the Bellevue Dairy in Taradale was robbed four years ago. She and her family have since installed bollards outside their business, as well as steel doors.

“Only night time is a little bit fear and it’s a quiet street,’’ Kirti Patel said.

To mitigate that, her business now closed earlier.

“When it’s dark, we don’t know what will happen,’’ she said.

Security cameras appear to be a must, but there’s still a feeling of helplessness.

“It’s worrying because people can just come in and stab you and take the till. It’s scary,’’ Pritpal Singh of Hastings’ Karamu Road Dairy said.

“We had a couple of robberies years back and the police take your information and go away. The robbers aren’t really scared, because there’s no consequences.

“We can’t hold any weapons, we’ve only got an emergency alarm and it takes 10 minutes for the police to come and the robbers are gone by then.’’

There has been talk about fog cannons as a means of protecting dairy staff after the Auckland stabbing.

Rupinder Jeet of The Corner Store in Taradale has one.

He’s thankful to have “a good community’' in which to run his business “but when we hear of something like what happened in Auckland it makes you worry and makes you feel a bit more vulnerable’’, Jeet said.

It also encourages dairy owners to keep a close eye on who comes into their store.

Kirti Patel - no relation to Kirti from Bellevue Dairy - owns the Meeanee Store and estimates 90 percent of his customers are regulars.

He takes comfort from those familiar faces but added that you can’t know everyone who comes into the shop or their intentions. Being in a slightly isolated area, he feels safer shutting at 6pm each night.