Police across Auckland launched Operation Dukan today which will talk with small business owners in the dairy and alcohol retail sector and provide them with prevention advice and support.
Inspector Nga Wati Chaplow says police are aware that the retail community has been shaken by recent robberies across Auckland and want to reassure them that their concerns are addressed.
“We will have 15 officers working full-time for the next three weeks to engage dairy and liquor store owners.
“We will provide them with a safety audit of their premises and discuss what options are available to them. This could include installing CCTV cameras, better lighting or even rearranging their stores,” says Mr Chaplow.
The police will be utilising ethnic officers who speak either Hindi and/or Punjabi to ensure the message is well communicated to the owner, family and staff members.
“The reason we are doing this is because we have found that members of our Indian community have been over-represented as victims in these types of offences,” he says.
Operation Dukan was first run in Counties Manukau in 2009 and again in 2014 engaging with almost 300 business owners.
“Those retailers who took part in the Counties Manukau operation said they found it to be extremely useful and it further enhanced their relationship with police,” says Mr Chaplow.
