Armed Hold Ups Will Return As Government Releases Map Of Cigarette Outlets

Dairy owners are dismayed at maps showing where the Government will allow ‘smoked tobacco’ to be sold, which will lead to serious crime like armed holdups, car jackings and even kidnapping, given each outlet is likely to average $4 million in sales with a large percentage being cash.

“Will the government listen? No. This is fake consultation because they’ve already made up their mind as they only listen to academics and theorists,” says Sunny Kaushal, Chair of the Dairy and Business Owner’s Group Incorporated.

“Dr Verrall’s plan will put crime on steroids with more injuries, and sadly, more murders.

“Cigarette sales are worth around $2.4 billion, with over $2 billion of that going to the government in Excise and GST showing who really makes the most from cigarettes. It’s simple math to arrive at average sales of $4 million per outlet, or around, $11,000 a day.

“If half of that’s in cash and the outlet at Cape Reinga, for example, is a two hour plus round trip from the nearest bank in Kaitaia, it creates thousands of incentives for a robbery. Each is called a dollar.

“As people are using cars as weapons now, murder for a cash register and assault us with machetes, what will happen with a mountain of cash? This is where carjackings, home invasion and even kidnapping gets imported into New Zealand with billions concentrated to just 600 outlets.

“Even security vehicles would become targets for armed hold ups after collecting cash in rural areas. The Government and its Wellington minions don’t understand there are few bank branches and Police are stretched. Some outlets are an hour from Police too and no good will come of that.

“This is all brilliant stuff for the gangs. Take one outlet for Mangere in Auckland. Does the government include or exclude the Airport Duty Free store and those in Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown?

“At the Health Select Committee, a Labour MP asked why there were more cigarette outlets in South Auckland than in the rich eastern suburbs. That’s because there are many more smokers, so the gangs get a free market for "ciggie houses" with just one, or even, no outlets in Mangere.

“It invites the gangs to set up ciggie houses. No outlets for Patea in Taranaki, or In Northland’s Kaiwaka and Mercer, Drury and Clevedon near Auckland down to Tapanui in Southland, yet there’s six outlets between Paekakriki and Waikanae in Wellington.

“Meanwhile they map eight outlets in the deep south on SH6 after Wanaka heading to Jackson Bay on the Coast where few people are, but none for the Chatham’s or Stewart Island.

“So, is the government planning to gift the supermarkets billions more in sales? Aside from crime, it would see struggling families sacrifice food for tobacco during their main shop. That’s less of an issue with us, as people split such purchases with dairies and service stations.

“While we have a crime emergency fuelled by taxes that make tobacco worth a lot more than silver, the government’s concentration of cash and valuable stock into 90% fewer outlets will see larger and more vicious crime. Our blood is on this government’s hands,” Mr Kaushal said.

It is now 78 days (2 months and 17 days) since we met and gave our manifesto to the police minister for no reply. We have previously asked Dr Verrall to meet and never got a reply either.

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