The labour weekend did not augur well for an Indian dairy owner's wife, when she was punched in her face by a 17-year-old female on Saturday, October 22, at her dairy shop in Hastings.
The woman was punched several times in her face requiring immediate medical attention.
Police were quick to attend the crime scene in line with the recently introduced directive of making robbery a "priority offence."
In this case, Police was quick to apprehend a teenager and charged with assault with intent to injure, which carries a maximum penalty of three years' jail.
It was only in late August this year that Police Minister Judith Collins has announced the new directive to treat robbery as a priority offence in a clear message to show that police is taking rising graph of robberies in the community seriously.
"This shows police are serious about tackling burglary and also sends a clear message to offenders," the Police Minister has then said.
To what extent does this directive is making a real change in creating a sense of security among the community, especially among the dairy owners, who often work long hours, in relative isolation, to deter such petty crimes, remains to be seen.
Although the same dairy shop was apparently targeted three weeks ago when someone has 'snatched' petty cash of around $300 from the counter.
It is important to note that of lately Hawke's Bay region has seen a rise in robberies and petty crimes.
Indian Weekender is trying to contact the dairy owner Jaskaran Singh and more details are awaited.
But the fact that same dairy was targeted within 3 weeks is a cause of concern for the community.