OPINION: Banning the sale of cigarettes in dairies will not stop dim-witted thugs from robbing dairies and other small businesses.
Cigarettes are legal and those who sell them should be able to do so without fear of being bashed, stabbed or shot.
Both the Government and the police accept there's a worrying trend with these attacks. The level of violence exhibited is escalating and increasingly it's young people involved. Sadly, it's now the norm to find a group of 13 or 14-year-olds looting businesses and dishing out a beating to anyone who stands in their way.
The question must be asked: what on earth are their parents doing when these kids decide to go on violent rampages?
- Don't sell cigarettes and you won't get robbed: Tariana Turia
- Indian business owners planning to arm themselves
- Shop owner calls for justice after yet another attack
- 'Charge thieving 11-year-olds'
It's the parents who are ultimately responsible for their children. They should know where they are at night, and they should not be allowing them to gather with their mates, drink hard liquor, and terrorise the innocent.
In my opinion, parents should get instant $500 fines if their children are found to be skipping school and causing problems.
It's not a complete answer to the problem, but it's perhaps part of the wider solution. This is not just a police issue, and it's certainly not the fault of dairy and liquor store owners who are just doing their job.
I think the police do a pretty good job responding to such attacks. They care about this type of thing and are highly motivated to catch the offenders. I don't think there's any merit in trying to blame the cops.
However, there are absolutely issues with how youth offenders are dealt with by the justice system. The brutal attack on Jitesh and his wife Preeti at their Mt Roskill business is a prime example. I met this couple in hospital - they're a hard-working, lovely couple who have been left with multiple serious injuries.
They're traumatised and destitute - their lives have changed forever. Yet one of the 13-year-old girls arrested over the attack on their shop ran away after being referred to a Child Youth and Family community programme.
What a complete debacle. While police and CYF try to find her, who knows what else she's plotting?
Fixing this problem is not a simple issue. It's highly complex and requires effort from all sectors of society.
It's appalling that so many people who are simply trying to earn a living do not feel safe when they open their shop doors every morning. What a disgrace.
Meanwhile, the doors at Jitesh and Preeti's dairy are still closed. Jitesh's arm is broken in multiple places – he'll need months of surgery before he can work again. Help the family by visiting their Givealittle page.
Michael Morrah is Newshub's Pacific Affairs correspondent.
