Rotorua police say they are working on new and innovative ways to address the issue. Photo / NZME
Rotorua police say they are working on new and innovative ways to address the issue. Photo / NZME
A Rotorua business owner is worried retailers could take matters into their own hands in a bid to stamp out local crime.
It comes after a "solution-seeking" meeting was held on Tuesday for small store operators to express their feelings and gauge how the police, council and central government were responding.
A recent police report shows the Bay of Plenty had the second-highest number of ram raids in New Zealand in the year to October. The 19 per cent share was second only to Waikato's 27 per cent.
But Rotorua police say they are working on new and innovative ways to address the issue.
Rotorua Lakes councillor and Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar chaired the meeting. Photo / Laura Smith
One business owner, who wished not to be named out of fear of bringing attention to his store that had already been targeted, said police needed to be more proactive in looking into what was being shared on social media by perpetrators.
The meeting was mostly civil but business owners were frustrated and "broken", and that was evident at the meeting, he said.
He warned of vigilantism and expected worn-out and stressed business owners would soon take matters into their own hands.
"People are seeing red,'' he told the Rotorua Daily Post.
Rotorua police area commander Inspector Phillip Taikato. Photo / Andrew Warner
"People don't feel like they are being heard."
He said there were two main points made in the meeting: The need for enforceable legislation and an understanding of why people committed the crimes.
He did not think a lot of answers were given at the meeting but believed the information and comments voiced by business owners would be considered.
Springfield Superette owner and Rotorua Lakes councillor Raj Kumar chaired the meeting and spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post afterwards.
"We realised if we don't address the agencies who are responsible for looking after this then it is just going to get out of hand."
Kumar said the meeting was "solution seeking" and held because he was concerned for the health and well-being of small store operators in the city.
It was expected the conversations had will be reviewed and the findings will form the basis of another meeting, to be held in September.
Rotorua's Fenton Park Dairy owner Milesh Kumar said better solutions were needed other than "picking [offenders] up and locking them up."
Rotorua's Fenton Park Dairy owner Milesh Kumar said the meeting was a chance to express concerns business owners had about ram-raids. Photo / Laura Smith
He did not think answers were given at the meeting.
He hoped some positives would come from the meeting in time for the next.
Responding to questions afterwards, Labour MP Tamati Coffey, who attended the meeting, said local shop owners' issues ranged from genuine concern over the increase in petty shoplifting, to ram raids and smash and grabs.
"It's bloody frustrating for shop owners, traumatic in the case of ram raids, but some of the shop owners who have been victims noted at the hui that police are doing a good job."
The police retail crime unit was working with shop owners to test a number of safety devices, such as bollards, and will be expanding this before the year's end, he said.
He said it was a complex problem that required a lot of agencies and community input to solve.
He said accountability measures "that will actually work" were being devised. This was in addition to better early interventions including involving communities; and better engagement with at-risk young people, including more meaningful activities and support.
"Put them in criminal youth facilities and they're almost guaranteed to join a gang.
"Making offenders accountable to their own communities is a much stronger deterrent," Coffey said.
Rotorua police area commander Inspector Phillip Taikato attended the meeting and said it was a valuable opportunity.
Labour list MP Tāmati Coffey. Photo / George Novak
"These types of burglaries are not a new issue, but there is no denying that in many districts, including Bay of Plenty, this style of offending has been a gaining lot of attention and causing a lot of distress and frustration."
He said police provided prevention advice and support to business owners and increase staff visibility and patrols in areas that have been targeted.
"But this is not an issue that police can solve alone."
"Rotorua police are currently working on new and innovative ways that will bring all of the city's available resources together to help address this and other related issues."
Rotorua Lakes Council community wellbeing deputy chief executive Anaru Pewhairangi said the council contributed where it could through the likes of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and its community safety initiatives.
Before the meeting, host Kumar said there were concerns from retailers about adhering to council rules when installing bollards.
Pewhairangi said most were installed on private property and did not require council permission but where people want to install bollards on public property such as footpaths they had to ensure they would not impede public access and were not unsafe in positioning or design and would not interfere with underground infrastructure.
"We try to keep the process as simple as possible and are always happy to work with businesses to find the best solution."
Media were invited to attend the meeting but were later told they could not. Coffey said it was so attendees could feel they could have an open conversation.
If you are seeing merchandise (cigarettes, etc) being sold online for a low price – let us know about it
If you are aware of young people involved in this offending or them bragging online – you can report this to police in confidence
Vehicle owners
We know stolen vehicles are being used as tools to commit this offending.
We are urging all vehicle owners, especially those who drive targeted vehicles (Aquas, Mark X, Tiidas) – please take extra steps to make your car secure and harder to steal i.e. steering locks for your car, parked in a secured garage if possible, using an immobiliser.
Families
Check in on your young people – are they home at night? Are they disconnected from their schooling?
Taking responsibility for your young people
Business owners
Work with us or other agencies around prevention opportunities to make your business a harder target
This could include fitting bollards or roller doors, securing high-value items at night and even the tried-and-true method of an audible alarm system
There have been multiple incidents recorded where bollards or roller-doors have stopped a ram raid from occurring
Partner agencies
Where we are identifying youth offenders, we are engaging partner agencies to address some of the wider issues in their environment that may be driving them to offend
