Himanshu Parmar Photo: Supplied
Former ACT Party electoral candidate Himanshu Parmar has been named on the ministerial advisory group for retail crime.
Michael Hill national retail manager Michael Bell, Foodstuffs North Island retail and property general manager Lindsay Rowles and Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young have also been included on the team, according to an announcement by Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee on Wednesday.
The advisory group is led by Dairy and Business Owners Group chair Sunny Kaushal and has been given an operating budget of $1.8 million a year for at least two years.
The development comes after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced changes to the Sentencing Act on Monday.
Earlier this month, New Zealand's Asian communities had expressed frustration on the slow progress in tackling crime impacting their businesses.
"The group ... can now move at pace to table proposed legislation for the government to consider as part of its plan to restore law and order," Goldsmith said in making the announcement. "I'm particularly interested to see some options on how security guards and business owners can better protect themselves.
"New Zealand has seen an exponential growth in retail crime over the past five years, with an 86 percent increase in retail crime of all types and, very concerningly, a 72 percent increase in sexual assault-related offences at retail locations.
"Around 230,000 New Zealanders work in the retail sector, with increasing numbers experiencing the personal and economic impacts of violent and theft-related crimes."
The minister reiterated the government's commitment to ensure 20,000 fewer victims of violent crime by 2029 and reducing serious repeat youth offending by 15 percent.
