Indian businesses report ‘encouraging’ turnaround in crime

Indian business owners who have been critical of the coalition government in recent years for failing to deliver any tangible results on crime say their experience this year is very different.

Narendra Bhana, a dairy owner and former president of the New Zealand Indian Central Association, said law and order had been "much better this year".

"We have a network of Gujarati small business owners and everyone agrees the government's tough-on-crime approach is delivering results," Bhana said.

"We feel safe and secure, and, most importantly, the police come when we report a crime within minutes, no matter how small the offending is."

Rajesh Goel, president of the Auckland Indian Retailers Association, said the measures the government put in place early in its tenure, including the reinstatement of the three-strikes regime in December 2024, had started to produce results.

"As with everything the government does, there was a time-lag in these laws making a material effect on the ground," Goel said.

"But when we talk about ram raids, aggravated robberies or even shoplifting offences, everything seems to be down.

"We do see isolated incidents once in a while but definitely not at the scale pre-2026."

Gurdeep Singh, owner of Pooja Jewellers in Papatoetoe and victim of an aggravated robbery in June 2024, told RNZ almost 18 months after the attack that government claims about violent crime numbers falling were "laughable".

This week, however, Gurdeep praised the government for its efforts on crime, noting the issue doesn't come up these days when retailers chat amongst themselves.

"Of course, everyone is worried about the state of economy, rising interest rates and whether their businesses will survive, but not about law and order," Gurdeep said.

"It is difficult to pinpoint what has worked," he said.

"Maybe it's the cumulative effect of increased police patrols in our neighbourhoods, harsher penalities, less discounting in sentencing and measures [that] tackle repeat youth offenders."

Paramjeet Singh, owner of a printing centre in Papatoetoe and an Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board member, said even "petty crime" such as bag snatching had fallen noticeably this year.

"[However] we do see an increase in drug use around us," he said.

"It's something the government should look into."

Jaspreet Kandhari, general secretary of the New Zealand Indian Business Association, shared similar sentiments.

"[While] we are seeing greater police focus and a stronger expectation of consequences for repeat offenders, retailers themselves have significantly strengthened security measures in their stores," Kandhari said.

"The real test is whether retailers and their staff feel safe and protected when facing repeat offending."

The business leader said retail crime was not as prominent an election issue for the Indian business community this year, which he said was "encouraging".

"[But] we should not take that to mean the problem has been solved," he said.

"We expect the government to continue working on these reforms, particularly after the election, and maintain the current direction so that the progress made is not lost."

Kandhari finds support in Himanshu Parmar, who is an ACT Party candidate for Waikato in the upcoming election.

Parmar was also one of the two Indian New Zealanders in the ministerial advisory group on retail crime set up in September 2024 for a period of two years.

The group, which wounded up in May this year, faced criticism from the Labour Party on spending.

The majority of the group's members resigned for different reasons.

One member, Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young, publicly questioned the leadership of chair Sunny Kaushal.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith defended the advisory group, praising Kaushal for the group's recommendations.

Parmar cautioned against complacency now crime had fallen.

"From the businesses I speak to, crime hasn't disappeared - far from it," Parmar said.

"But right now it is competing with another enormous concern - simply surviving. Costs, tax debt, margins, regulations and weak consumer spending are dominating a lot of conversations.

"In 2023, retail crime was at crisis point and businesses were screaming to be heard. Since then we've seen tougher consequences, changes around repeat offending and trespass, and much greater political attention on retail crime.

"I wouldn't interpret less noise about crime as businesses suddenly thinking the problem is solved. Some things have improved, but there is still plenty of work to do."

Kaushal said law and order remained an important election issue, but it didn't appear to have same urgency it had three years ago.

The latest Ipsos Issues Monitor, which surveyed around 1000 New Zealanders on the most pressing issues facing the country in July, ranked law and order ninth in terms of priority.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell argued the government's focus on back-to-basics policing was working.

"Ministry of Justice data shows us that there are 37,000 fewer victims of violent crime than when we came into government," he said.

"Police's victimisation data backs that up, with 2025 having the fewest victimisations since 2021. Ram Raids are down 85 percent from their peak under [Labour leader] Chris Hipkins, and burglaries, theft, and retail crime are all tracking down.

"We've put in the investment and the laws needed to back our police. Our investment has seen hundreds more police officers than there were in 2023, and funded to stay at that level.

"The fact we have more police and we have passed new laws has meant we are now seeing fewer victims, people are safer and the gangs are under control.

"Police are more visible in their communities and public trust is increasing."

The minister detailed some measures the government had undertaken, which he believed had made a difference to the law-and-order situation in the country.

"We are building new police stations and giving police new powers to go after boy racers," he said.

"The changes ... the government has made to sentencing, including capping sentencing discounts and restoring three strikes, has meant that violent offenders are in prison, rather than on the streets."

Labour disputed some of Mitchell's claims.

Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said National had promised 500 more police and failed to deliver.

"Instead, they're expecting small business owners to step in and do the work of police through their citizen's arrest law change - an idea that both the police and Retail New Zealand have warned would put workers at greater risk of harm," Anderson said.

She was referring to an August amendment to the Crimes Act that gave members of the public power to detain someone for any Crimes Act offence at any time of day.

A person making such an arrest would be allowed to use restraints "when reasonable", but was also required to contact police and follow their instructions.

Anderson also highlighted the ongoing problem of increasing methamphetamine use in the country.

As reported in June, methamphetamine use in New Zealand continues to break records.

Wastewater testing data from the last three months to June showed consumption was up 15 per cent, or 4.7 kilograms, above the average quantity consumed over the previous four quarters.

"When methamphetamine use is surging to record levels, we know this contributes to more violent and retail crime," she noted.

"National has no solutions to fix the root causes of crime, just slogans."

On this, Mitchell acknowledged there was "a lot more work to do".

'[But] the direction that we are moving in is the right one," said the minister.

-RNZ