New Ministers contacted over crime emergency

The Business and Dairy Owners Group have wasted no time in writing to the new Ministers of Police and Justice to request a meeting to discuss a surge in dairy crime and what can be done to reduce them.

“We welcome Ministers Hipkins and Allan and look forward to meeting them as soon as possible,” says Sunny Kaushal, Chair of the Dairy and Business Owners’ Group.

“We are particularly keen to meet Minister Hipkins because proposed changes to the sale of cigarettes, as early as this month, could spark an open season upon dairies, our families and our workers. We need a plan in place otherwise good hardworking Kiwi businesspeople will suffer.

“There’s a lot that can be done as we have not only police/justice gaps but technological ones too.

“The former Police Minister’s $6m package belatedly responded to one issue, ram raids, and mostly Auckland. Our sector bleeds for the $1.8 billion we collect for the government off cigarettes and GST, so around $25 million would help to secure two-thirds of us with bollards and fog cannon.

“But this is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. We need to get a lot tougher and stop tag and release justice.

“We hope Minister Allan will be prepared to row back on the 3-Strikes repeal while toughening up youth justice to halt children sliding into gangs who earn their stripes attacking us,” Mr Kaushal said.