Angry dairy owners have met with Police Minister Chris Hipkins to press their case for more money and greater powers to combat crime against their businesses.
They want Hipkins to accept there is a "crime emergency". He admitted there is one, but only for the victims, not for everyone.
Another night, another ram raid, which is happening with such regularity it's almost an everyday occurrence.
When asked by Newshub if he was expecting a feisty meeting today, Hipkins said: "No I'm expecting a constructive one."
The dairy and business owners group gave Police Minister Chris Hipkins a memo stating what they believe is happening.
"We need to agree that there is a crime emergency in New Zealand which we have put very clearly to the minister," Dairy and Business Owners Group chair Sunny Kaushal said.
But the minister said that hasn't yet happened.
"I absolutely accept, particularly in the upper half of the North Island, we're seeing an escalating pattern of youth offending," Hipkins said.
"[It's] an escalating pattern of youth offending - you can put whatever label on it you like. If you're a business that's a victim of that then clearly that is an emergency for your business."
The seven-page memo demanded things, including dairy owners getting more rights to defend themselves physically, traffic wardens getting more powers almost to act like police on the beat, and that their $6 million crime fund for protective measures such as bollards and fog cannons grow to $30 million.
The fund helped just two businesses in two months but Hipkins said 80 are now in the system and he won't rule out adding to the fund.
He also added he wouldn't rule out upgrading traffic wardens but said no to giving business owners more power to strike back against attackers, much to their frustration.
"We would like to hear some message to those offenders who have no fear of [the] law, who have no fear of police, who have no fear of being caught or any consequences whatsoever," Kaushal said.
Hipkins said: "There is no quick fix here."
But while images of ram raids dominate our screens, demands for that quick fix will only grow.
