New Zealand’s dairy and service-station owners are seeking increased police patrols for premises along with priority for vaccinations as the level 4 lockdown continues.
“The corner dairy is again to the fore as an essential business,” says Sunny Kaushal, chair of the Dairy and Business Owners Group. “Yet with almost a robbery every day, the current lockdown could make us more of a target.”
Kaushal’s group represents some 4000 owner-operated dairies and service stations across the nation – businesses that have by default joined the frontline of the pandemic response as a destination for people to buy food and other essential goods.
“As robberies cause huge mental distress and sadly injury as well as property damage, a robbery could close a dairy when a community needs it the most,” said Kaushal.
“We are asking our good friends at the Police to keep an extra eye on dairies and service stations during trading hours and especially late at night after non-24/7 trading businesses close.
“This is especially the case in our emptier central business areas where there are big existing problems as well as in remote and rural locations too.”
He said staff of dairies and service stations should be prioritised for receiving vaccinations
“Much talk has been about the supermarkets, yet again, despite dairies helping to stop non-essential travel to supermarkets.”
