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A South Auckland church minister has challenged Manurewa business owners to tackle crime near their stores by painting over graffiti.
His comments follow the murder of Riverton Liquor owner Navtej Singh, who died last week after being shot during a robbery.
The Rev Mark Beale says he is sympathetic about Mr Singh's death and does not want to blame anyone other than the offenders.
But he believes small-business owners should be doing more to protect themselves from escalating crimes by targeting tagging.
Mr Beale is the chairman of the non-profit Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust, which aims to eradicate tagging by painting over it. The trust believes tagging leads to more serious crimes and charges business owners only for the paint to cover it.
Businesses had the option of painting over tagging themselves or getting trust volunteers to do it for them, said Mr Beale.
He believed business owners could manage tagging - and the flow-on effect of other crimes - with a 10-litre bucket of paint each year, at a cost of about $60.
"It's that 'Scroogey-ness' that frustrates me, of people not actually willing to contribute towards the cost."
The trust painted over tagging at the Riverton Rd stores last week, at no cost, because of Mr Singh's murder.
Meanwhile, Manurewa MP George Hawkins met Counties Manukau police chief Superintendent Steve Shortland yesterday to discuss the police response to Mr Singh's death.
Police have been criticised for taking too long to enter the scene, instead following procedure by waiting at a safe point to establish the gunman was no longer present as Mr Singh lay dying in his store.
Mr Hawkins said he told Mr Shortland he was helping members of the Sikh community to make a formal complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority. He was also helping at least three people create a formal petition protesting against the police procedure.
Mr Hawkins was pleased to see that police had sent questionnaires to store owners asking them about their safety as well as arranging seminars to help to educate them about security and advice on 111 calls.
