HE TRIED TO STAB ME
Dairy robbery victim left traumatised
A South Auckland liquor store owner says he has been left traumatised and is struggling to go to work, after being robbed by men wielding knives and screwdrivers.
Two masked men came into Narinder Singla’s Thirsty Liquor store on Great South Rd, Papatoetoe, just after 4pm on Friday.
Singla said the men immediately became aggressive, demanding cash and cigarettes.
“The first one pushed the knife towards me. He tried to stab me. “I stepped a little bit back. “Then the other robber came to me and said, ‘I will kill you. Give me the money. F***ing kill you, do you like this world?’”
Singla quickly did everything the men asked, but was fearful they would hurt him anyway.
“I was worried that they’ll get money, get cigarettes, alcohol, and then after that either they’ll beat or stab. I thought it was better to open the till, so that they can get money and whatever they like.”
A bystander called the police, who are now investigating.
Despite the terrifying robbery, Singla was back at work the next day.
“I have to earn my bread and butter. I have to pay rent, I have to pay wages. What can I do? I have to do a lot of work here.
“I’m mentally traumatised, I’m shaken. Nothing looks normal to me now, it looks scary. Everyone looks like a robber here now.”
Singla said he wouldn’t even feel better if the men were caught, as he felt the law wasn’t strong enough and the men wouldn’t be punished.
He worried they’d soon be back in his store to rob him again.
“The laws are so soft. So they will come again and do the same thing.
“There is no fear of police. No fear of the law.”
The two men left the liquor store in a stolen car, a 1990s silver Nissan Bluebird, registration DEB613.
It was found abandoned a short time after the robbery on nearby Swaffield Rd, Papatoetoe.
New Zealand Association of Convenience Stores executive director Dave Hooker said the increasing price of tobacco motivated many robberies on smaller stores.
Those in the industry were noticing increasing numbers of violent robberies, but there were no crime statistics available to prove their claims.
“We’ve actually asked for the information under the Official Information Act, and they simply said they don’t drill down that hard,” Hooker said. “Anecdotally it feels like there has been more.”
He said increasing tobacco taxes had painted a target on shops.
“If $20 a pack is attractive, what’s $40 a pack going to look like?
“The tobacco companies are likely getting questions from shop owners now: ‘ Okay, you want us to sell your product, can you help me with security’.”
Hooker said it was hard for the smaller operations to protect themselves. “The BPs and Mobils, they’ve got big associations that can put time, money, and training into looking after their staff.”
Acting Counties Manukau District Commander Inspector Julia Lynch said they were working hard to reduce the number of robberies.
Lynch noted that, since February, Counties Manukau Police had arrested 62 people for aggravated robberies.