We’ve all seen the barrage of news articles about ram raid crimes targeting small businesses across the country. While recent efforts and funding support have helped reduce the number of these offences, retail crime still costs New Zealand retailers $1 billion every year. Not to mention the enormous personal toll on business owners and those working in the industry.
Ram raids have been a significant contributor to retail crime, providing offenders with a means of forced entry to businesses of all types and sizes, including petrol stations, supermarkets, dairies and convenience stores, retail premises, and commercial properties. Between April 2017 and February 2023, the New Zealand Police recorded over 2,100 ram-raid-style offences across the country!
Although ram raids are now trending downward thanks in part to government-funded initiatives, the deterrent effect of physical barriers such as bollards remains critical. These barriers not only provide security but also send a strong psychological message to would-be offenders, discouraging attempts before they begin.
While these crimes often have a high financial cost to businesses, ram raid offences typically result in thefts/shoplifting with a value of between $0 and $1,000, with the vast majority of these being under $500 in estimated value. Money and cash registers, tobacco, cigarettes, alcohol, designer goods, and power tools remain consistent targets. Although the estimated value of these stolen items may be low, the costs to businesses in repairs, insurance, staff care, and other losses are significantly higher.
If you’re looking for ways to protect your assets, team, and livelihood from this, we can help. From small business solutions to big-box retailers, our team has decades of experience and can create a bollard system to suit. With options for inground, surface-mount, and removable bollards, we can design a safety solution that works specifically for your site and its unique needs.
Bollards have been proven to be a physical and psychological crime deterrent, with Auckland Transport among local bodies recommending their use, alongside other methods such as fog cannons for ram raid protection. Auckland Transport is also streamlining the application process for businesses to install bollards (including processing the application free of charge), and our team can support you with technical data for these or other local application processes.
With a range of options for inground, surface-mount, and removable bollards, we can design a safety-focused, crime prevention solution tailored specifically for your site. For example, our removable bollards can be used to cover roller doors or access ways for commercial properties at night, surface-mount bollards offer a cost-effective deterrent for small businesses, and our in-ground bollards are the perfect heavy-duty solution for 24/7 property protection.
Our bollards come with the Tru-Gard 10-year Warranty and are made in New Zealand from high-quality materials. They undergo rigorous independent testing to ensure top-level protection for you, your staff, and your premises. Our in-ground options include plastic caps that arrive separately, allowing contractors the flexibility to fill them with concrete on-site for added strength. Bollards offer an extremely cost-effective solution for preventing loss and damage to your premises. To find out more about the right bollard product for you, contact our expert team today.
NZ Sales – Bromley Taylor, bromley.taylor@tru-gard.com
Read another Tru-Gard Safety Insight Here.
Statistics courtesy of the New Zealand Police