Following efforts being made by the Indian community to put an end to aggravated robberies in dairies and liquor stores in Auckland, Z Energy has decided to tackle the issue too; investing millions in new technologies to make their stores safer.
- Dairies call on police to stub out robberies
- "I've had enough" - Dairy owners march against influx of violence
Their latest line of defence is a cigarette dispenser which only releases one packet of cigarettes at a time, and can't even be accessed by staff.
The tobacco units cost over $15,000 each. So far nine have been installed, with a further 41 to be rolled out by July.
For Anej, a service station attendant at a Z in south Auckland, images of violent robberies are all too real.
An attempted robbery was made while he was on the nightshift at a service station, and he knows the importance of having adequate security measures in place.
"Ten to 14 people came in and robbed the smokes and the television. It's really scary. It's in my mind always now."
Counties Manukau police say robberies are a problem right across Auckland.
"Since February across the entire Auckland area, we have seen 65 people held to account for aggravated robberies. That's 65 arrests since February," a police spokesperson says.
The use of new technologies like the cigarette dispenser has led to a drop in robberies across the Tasman, where they've been in use for some time.
Newshub.
