Government officials, police, and Auckland's mayor met with distressed and frustrated retail workers today to discuss the ongoing targeting of small businesses in the city.
Workers at the meeting said they want to see tougher action from officials, after they were promised support during the election.
They also called for tougher consequences for youth offenders and more support for victims.
A recent survey by Retail New Zealand found that 92% of retailers experienced some form of crime in the past year, with the incidents costing more than $2.5 billion.
Dairy & Business Owners Group chairman Sunny Kaushal said he wanted the Government to commit today to “zero tolerance” of these crimes.
“We need actions now, we cannot wait for another three or six years. Enough is enough.”
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the Government was working as fast as it could.
“We know we’ve got a lot of work to do, but we are fully committed to that work."
Courts Minister Nicole McKee believes the community will be pleased by the advancements being made.
“There’s a lot of passion out there in the community, and there’s a lot of people that are fed up with what’s happened to them in the last six years.”
1News reporter Isobel Prasad went to hear business owners' concerns in the video above.
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