Fog cannons do "absolutely nothing" to prevent ram-raids at night time, according to a Waikato liquor store owner.
It comes after the Government announced an extra $11 million to help extend the fog cannon subsidy scheme for retailers.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Ash Parmar said the cannons subsidised by the Government don't work unless a person activates them, meaning if a store is hit by thieves in the middle of the night, the fog cannons won't be triggered.
"If it's a ram-raid, most of the fog cannons available to small retailers are not sophisticated ones."
He said if it's a robbery during the day, and a group of thieves are running into the store with weapons, the last thing a shop worker thinks to do is trigger the fog cannon.
"They're attacking you at a rapid rate because these attackers know you're going to trigger the fog cannon, they're smart, they've figured this out.
"The fog cannons work but it's not the only thing you need, it's not that lightning strike that will give you some kind of protection in the shop."
Parmar said he knows a lot of small business owners, including himself, who are trying to sell their shops due to the ongoing theft.
"Every dairy owner, every liquor store owner, wants to get out of the business, that's just the reality of retail in New Zealand currently."
Hipkins responds
Also speaking to Breakfast this morning, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said fog cannons are a measure that will help keep business owners safe.
"But it isn't an ultimate solution, we've got to have fewer people engaged in this sort of offending in the first place.
"We have seen a spike in retail crime over the last 18 months, it isn't ok, those businesses shouldn't have to put up with that in the first place."
Yesterday Hipkins said: "Small retailers continue to tell us that the scheme is working well and that they feel safer knowing that they are better protected against things like ram raids and burglary.
"The retail crime spike that we have been experiencing is utterly unacceptable. Those business owners and their employees experiencing the spike first-hand should not have to be fearful when they go to work."
To date, 582 installations of fog cannons have been completed, and 1664 applications have been approved, according to the Government.
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