Business associations across the country have been calling for more to be done about ram raids, with 129 ram raids committed between May and August this year alone. But one security solution from a local liquor shop is sticking out for all the wrong reasons.
Glengarry in Parnell has erected large wine kegs reinforced with concrete on the footpath to protect their store from another ram raid. Considering that rules on outdoor seating, smoking, and loitering on footpaths with storefronts are so strict, it is assumed the wine and spirits shop didn’t get permission from the local council to erect these.
While the need to protect your business is understandable, these self-erected barrel-bollards are cumbersome and a major trip hazard for pedestrians. It also makes no allowance for delivery services, pushchairs, or those with disabilities.
Hundreds of arrests have been made over ram raids in Auckland in recent months, and it appears to be an issue that isn’t going away.
The businesses targeted in ram raids range from high-end shops, like the Louis Vuitton and Gucci stores on Queen St, to jewellery stores like Michael Hill, liquor stores, vape shops, dairies, and restaurants, often being hit multiple times.
Store security is expensive, and with little immediate help being offered by the government, businesses are looking for ways to protect their business. This one retailer looks to be taking matters into its own hands, with perhaps little thought for those around them or the safety of other footpath users.
