‘Give me cash or you’re dead’
A man robbed at knifepoint was told to hand over the money, otherwise he was dead.
Soon after, the robber fled with thousands of dollars in cash.
Saigon Restaurant and Bar is the latest business to be robbed in Tararua during a scary spate of armed holdups and burglaries in the area.
Duty manager Binh Van Long said it took him a few seconds to register the large carving knife pointed at him during the daylight attack.
Despite a usual opening time of 11am, a man with a dark scarf wrapped around his head entered the bar through the back door about 10.40am on Monday.
The man was armed with a large knife, which he used to threaten Long.
Long said he was afraid during the ordeal. He was told to handover money, otherwise he would be killed.
The man then fled through the New World car park, with about $13,000 cash in his bag.
It’s the second time the eatery has been robbed in the past year.
A bar window was smashed during a burglary in August. About $13,000 was taken from the safe that time too.
Long said the aftermath of the latest robbery was ‘‘not good’’. ‘‘It’s a tough time.’’
In March, Woodville’s DJ’S Dairy was burgled, and Dannevirke’s Caltex, Four Square and Hi-way Dairy were all robbed by armed offenders.
Long said he believed there had been an increase in crime in the area.
He was concerned the recent attacks could shake the confidence of business owners in the town, and said it was important to have a secure business environment and CCTV cameras.
DJ’S Dairy, on Vogel St in Woodville, was broken into in March, causing thousands of dollars of damage.
Owner Jitu Patel said it appeared the offenders were after the store’s supply of cigarettes, but failed, breaking windows and cabinets in the process.
Police had not yet arrested anyone for the burglary.
Patel worked in the store along with his wife and said they were worried about going to work.
‘‘I am worried because it’s not safe here.
‘‘Sometimes they bring hammers, sometimes they bring a gun, sometimes they bring a knife, anything.’’
The store had been broken into previously, causing $10,000 of damage, and he said it was very hard to keep bouncing back financially.
On the other side of the ranges, small business owners are also not immune to the effects of armed crime.
In Manawatu, dairy owners are demanding action from police and politicians and have said they are sick of feeling helpless in their own shops.
A public meeting on Saturday night gave voice to the shop owners’ strong concerns about their safety.
Police said crime in Tararua was very low compared with other parts of the district and the offending trends had remained consistent.
Central District commander Superintendent Sue Schwalger said Manawatu police were visiting small businesses to provide them with crime-prevention advice.
‘‘We are working hard every day to ensure that everyone in our community can live, work and play in a safe environment.’’