Ram raids: $6 million secured by police for new plan to stop the crime wave

The police have secured $6 million for the Small Retailer Crime Prevention Fund to help vulnerable, small businesses prevent ram raids at their stores.

Acting Assistant Police Commissioner David Lynch told Newstalk ZB today there have been more than 1000 ram raids and 768 people arrested for the offending since 2017.

He laid out the police's plan on how to use the $6m, explaining that over the next couple of weeks, police will be "increasing their capacity" to look at how they can assist retailers through the new prevention programme.

"Within the next two weeks, we will be getting in approximately a dozen staff who will primarily be trained to work with small businesses to have a look at whether we can assist them by use of the fund," Lynch said.

"Rolling out some equipment, including shatterproof glass, bollards, fog cannons, roller doors, and other types of target-hardening and prevention measures. So where possible we can prevent them being victimised."

Acting Assistant Police Commissioner David Lynch said that he hopes the fund will assist vulnerable businesses to prevent being victimised by the offenders. Photo / NZME

After the assessment is carried out by a specialist team, one of the 18 companies contracted by police using the fund will install whichever measures are deemed best fit for the business.

Lynch said he is "hoping that having 18 providers nationally will enable there to be enough coverage for businesses to receive fairly prompt service".

This process is expected to begin in the next two weeks after the team is trained, and Lynch said about 45-50 businesses will be assessed per week after that. He also said they will be looking at assessing businesses in Auckland and Waikato first, the regions hit hardest by the recent spike in ram raids.

The damage from a ram raid at Orakei Fine Wines & Spirits in Orakei. Photo / Hayden Woodward.

Today, Police Minister Chris Hipkins said so far 21 assessments have been carried out.

Act Leader David Seymour said Hipkins needs to be clear with business owners about how they become eligible for funding and what the process is.

"Asked how retailers who fear being attacked should go about applying to access the fund, the Prime Minister wouldn't answer. Either she doesn't know or the Government is unwilling to say," Seymour said.

"It's nuts that to be eligible for protection from ram raids, you first have to be ram-raided."

Act leader and Epsom MP David Seymour called the fund "inaccessible" and confusing for small business owners. Photo / Alex Burton

Seymour stressed that the fund was inaccessible and confusing for small business owners.

"Business owners have been crippled by Covid-19, lockdowns and crime. They just want to know what the police are doing to fight these crimes and how they can go about getting funding to better protect their staff and business."