The government’s announced an additional $11 million to extend the fog cannon subsidy scheme, which the police minister said has given shop workers peace of mind during a spate of retail crime.
So far there have been 582 installations completed, said Ginny Andersen, with 1,664 applications approved. “The scheme has proved to be incredibly popular. I’m pleased to be able to expand the scheme with an extra $11 million to continue to give eligible retailers across New Zealand certainty that they can get a fog cannon if they need one,” she said.
Figures provided by the minister show most of the completed installations – 214 – have been in Auckland. There have been 110 in Canterbury and 96 in Wellington.
“We need to tackle the problem at both ends and ensure we are stopping retail crime in the first place,” Andersen said. “We’ve expanded a circuit breaker programme targeting recidivist child offenders into Hamilton, Christchurch and Auckland City and are making excellent progress on our goal to achieve 1,800 more police officers on the front line.”
Fog cannons can help deter ram raids and burglary, said Andersen, and the subsidy would help ensure retailers could afford to have a device installed.
Speaking at a post-cabinet press conference, prime minister Chris Hipkins said this scheme made a difference for retailers that couldn’t afford the regular costs, particularly those renting premises. “The retail crime spike that we have been experiencing is utterly unacceptable,” he said.
Asked whether it was concerning to see the rise in applications for the fog cannon subsidy, Hipkins said it was about providing businesses comfort and support. However, he said he also had an “unrelenting” focus on targeting the root causes of offending.
Hipkins said he was proud of the support his government had provided for frontline police officers. Later in the week he’ll be attending a police graduation ceremony to welcome new recruits.