Fighting dairy shop crime with seven easy tips

Fighting dairy shop crime with seven easy tips

An Auckland dairy owner is calling on other small businesses to ‘see and be seen’ before another burglary ends in tragedy.

Just Mart owner Judy Xu knows what it’s like to be the target of crime, after her Auckland city centre store was robbed one night in October last year. A shopkeeper, her husband, was threatened with a knife by a group of five, who took cigarettes and about $1000 in cash. The shopkeeper was forced to the ground and kicked, however escaped unharmed.

Mrs Xu says she remains worried that it will happen again.

“I’m very worried, very scared. The robbery happened after midnight,” she explains. “Five people came in and hurt my husband. They pushed him to the ground.”

Now, Mrs Xu is speaking out about dairy robberies and encouraging owners to take preventative measures. The Albany mum stars in a new video, a collaboration between AMI Insurance and the NZ Police, which features seven tips for crime prevention.

“I hope other dairy shop owners see the video and that it stops robberies,” Mrs Xu says of the video.

NZ Police Constable Charlie Laumatia features in the video, and says shop owners should do the following to limit the chances they’ll be targeted:

Control access to your business
See and be seen
Clearly define your shop layout
Show your business is taken care of
Use active security measures
Manage and maintain your business well
Train staff to be vigilant.
AMI’s General Manager Small Business Andrew Francis says the insurer is proud to partner with the police to help shop owners prevent crime.

“I really commend Mrs Xu for her bravery in speaking out, despite what her family has been through,” Mr Francis says.

“Small businesses are at the heart of New Zealand, making up 97% of all businesses. So it’s important we support shop owners to protect themselves and their livelihoods,” he says.

Check out the video on AMI’s Facebook page.

ENDS

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