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By Ben Donaldson
A number of Rodney and Hibiscus Coast cigarette retailers have been targeted in tobacco burglaries and storeowners are concerned the problem will be exacerbated as the cost of tobacco rises.
This year the Matakana Gull Station, Mahurangi East Four Square, and Orewa Hilltop Dairy have been broken into for cigarettes.
The Gull Station was ram-raided by two people on June 2, who took nothing but smokes.
Station owner Gay Smith says she will consider stopping cigarette sales if it will reduce the risk of a future burglary.
Mahurangi East Four Square has been targeted for tobacco twice and storeowner Evgemi Bachara is considering upgrading security.
Cigarettes area a major target for thieves, he says.
“They are the new gold at the moment,” Mr Bachara says. “If you think about it, how much wine can you carry at once compared to how many packets of cigarettes?”
But he says, financially, he would be crazy to stop selling them, even though the mark up is just 8 per cent on each packet.
The Hilltop Dairy, on the Coast was ram-raided with a stolen vehicle on May 17, but the criminals were unable to steal the cigarettes, so took the cash register instead.
Dairy owner Faruk Ismail says he is looking to improve store security in the aftermath.
“We would like to put in bollards, but it’s not financially viable at the moment,” he says.
Retail NZ has also expressed concerns for worker safety with increased taxes, saying the tax hike may make tobacco more attractive to thieves and put retail workers at risk.
In a press release last month, Retail NZ public affairs general manager Greg Harford said tobacco was already a key target for thieves.
“While any retail store selling tobacco is a potential target, the risk is particularly great in small stores such as corner dairies, which play an important part in keeping our communities vibrant,” Mr Harford said. “We expect retailers will need to look at their security arrangements as a result of the tax hike”.
Some stations have already moved to increase security following earlier price hikes. GAS Mangawhai owner Paul Thurgood had his stock placed in a safe case in 2012.
“I think hearing about cigarette theft is a lot more common now,” says Paul. “Our station is fairly secure, there is not a lot more we could do to prevent it.”
An average packet of cigarettes is set to increase from $20 to $30 by 2020, after the Government announced a 10 per cent annual tax increase over the next four years.
The policy is part of the Government’s plan to make NZ smoke-free by 2025.
