Community leaders express anguish over rampant retail crimes!

The Ministers of the National led government had to face the ire and anguish of members from Indian business community and the leaders of community organisations. The meeting was organised on Saturday 10th February at the Indian Association NZ, Manukau by Sunny Kaushal from Dairy and Business Owners Group to appraise the government of their concerns face to face. The meeting was attended by Police and Corrections Minster Mark Mitchell, Court Minister Nicole McKee, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, and a couple of NZ Police officials including Superintendent of Police. Many prominent community leaders including Roshan Nauhria, Veer Khar, ACT Party MP Paramjit Parmar, Ambrish Gupta, Ranjay Sikka, a large number of local business owners.
Two victims of recent brutal attacks, Ghouse Majeed and Suresh Patel shared their emotional first-hand account of fatal attacks on them with the packed house and the Ministers. Even after weeks of these attacks the victims appeared to be greatly shaken and physically bruised and still in the process of recovering from their injuries. Suresh Patel, who was brutally attacked with a knife by a young offender at his dairy at New Windsor on 5 October said he feels to be lucky to be alive. Sometimes it may take a lifetime for victims to come out of trauma of such violent attacks apart from experiencing physical injuries and mental stress. The organisers of the event Veer Khar and Sunny Kaushal gave a stern message to the government and said that it’s time for the government to fulfil their election promises.
Ghouse Majeed was working at the gas station of his friend where he goes regularly to assist him and on the fateful day of fatal attack, in the early hours of morning he had barely opened the shop. Ghouse Majeed said the offenders started beating and attacking him unprovoked and tried to hit him with a hammer. He said he missed the hammer by a whisker as he ducked to save himself from the fatal blow. Both victims had pretty similar stories to tell the Ministers and to audience which has been repeated a countless number of times in the past. It is just the crimes that don’t seem to stop even after change of government and despite repeated warnings from the Police minister of tough action on criminals. The meeting organisers pleaded the Ministers to start some action on ground to send a strong message to criminals that this government is actually tough on crimes. Members from audience asked questions to the ministers and they answered them emphatically saying we are going to have more police on streets soon and re-focussing the justice system to be tougher on criminals. Mitchell said, “our focus is on our justice system came off the victims and go on to the offenders”.
Court Minister Nicole McKee admitted that the backlog in the justice system is a major hurdle. She said government is going to create a new category for young serious offenders and establish Military academies for such offenders. Police Mitchell said the government is trying hard to change this situation which had worsened in past six years. The meeting ended on a high note and the ministers taking back a strong message to government from a resentful community.

-Yugal Parashar