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The Government will pour $11 million into its fog cannon subsidy scheme in an effort to deter ramraids and burglaries, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says.
Retailers have taken to the scheme at high rates since it was announced in November, while applications have been increasing every day since April.
The scheme was first announced in November with $4m after Janak Patel was murdered while working in a Sandringham dairy.
“The retail crime spike we have been experiencing is utterly unacceptable,” Hipkins said on Monday.
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The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment opened applications for the $4000 subsidy in February. As many as 582 have been installed and 1664 applications have been approved.
About 110 were approved a week in April and May, and the majority of outlets have been in Auckland.
“For many small retailers I know they can’t always afford the upfront cost of fog cannon, so I know this scheme makes a difference for them,” Hipkins said.
He said the scheme would give businesses a greater feeling of safety, while the Government was also focussed on tackling the causes of offending.
ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in the Beehive theatrette.
Hipkins made the announcement at a post-Cabinet briefing on Monday, where answered questions about the nation’s intelligence and security agencies after an independent review called for changes to be made.
The Government released the report on Monday afternoon, and it was presented to the House of Representatives. It gave 52 recommendations to ensure the law’s governing intelligence and security agencies were fit for purpose, including improving transparency.
In a statement, Hipkins said New Zealand had experienced significant security threats.
“Since 2017 we have experienced two terror attacks, seen the rise of foreign interference, disinformation, and cyber security threats both domestically and overseas,” he said.
“It’s important we regularly check the tools we have available, and accompanying checks and balances, are appropriate to keep New Zealanders safe.”
The response to the report will be jointly led by the prime minister and Minister Responsible for the GCSB and NZSIS, Andrew Little. The Government will consult with other political parties before finalising its response.
It follows the Labour Party congress over the weekend, where Hipkins announced his Government would make Labour’s apprenticeship subsidy scheme permanent, and pledge to keep the retirement age at 65.
National on Sunday also released a significant housing policy mostly revolving around massively liberalising the supply of land to build houses on.
Housing spokesperson Chris Bishop confirmed its stance, and said if National was in government, it would still support allowing for density and transport corridors. He also promised to introduce a $1 billion fund for councils to incentivise councils to build new housing.
It came after National Party leader Christopher Luxon withdrew his party’s support from its bipartisan agreement with Labour on housing density, saying they “got it wrong”.
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