Dairy owner calls for hard line

A dairy owner has been left frustrated after his store was robbed for the second time in two months. Police were called to Limbrick St, Palmerston North, after the Limbrick Maxi Mart was robbed just before 8.30am on Saturday.

It is the second time the store has been robbed by a group of armed people in the past two months, with the first robbery on July 23.

In this robbery, four men entered the dairy armed with hammers and bats and took cash and cigarettes, before driving off in a late-model, dark-coloured Mitsubishi SUV.

The store owner, ‘‘Sanjay’’, said the men entered the store, threatened and then robbed him.

He recognised one of the men from the previous robbery and said they were armed with the same weapons, hammers and bats.

Sanjay said the robberies were ‘‘frustrating’’. ‘‘It shouldn’t happen to anyone. The Government should do something about the criminals.

‘‘Toughen up the law, that’s all we are asking.’’

He said store owners wanted to see tougher penalties imposed on the people committing aggravated robberies. He thought it would take a serious injury to an owner before that happened.

‘‘That’s all they are waiting for, something serious to happen and then they will look at it.’’

Detective Sergeant Jonny Oram said police were seeking sightings of the Mitsubishi SUV.

‘‘If anyone saw a vehicle matching that description, or saw anything of note in the area around that time, they’re asked to please get in touch with Palmerston North police.’’