Police Minister Chris Hipkins announced the moves in a statement on 15 December, 2022. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The government has unveiled further details about its crime prevention programmes, including timeframes and criteria for the fog cannon subsidy.
When the $4000 fog cannon subsidy was announced last month after the death of dairy worker Janak Patel, it was initially promised to "all small shops and dairies".
The government has refined that down to those no more than two outlets, with five or fewer employees. They must also have a street frontage, meaning outlets inside malls would be ineligible.
The subsidy will also not be ready until February next year.
Police Minister Chris Hipkins announced the moves in a statement this morning, saying retailers could lodge expressions of interest with business.govt.nz, which would help the government gauge demand.
Fog cannon suppliers would be able to apply to join the scheme from 19 December, Hipkins said.
"Once the subsidy is launched in February, eligible retailers should visit the business.govt.nz website, and formally apply. They will need to declare they are eligible and provide simple business verification details," he said.
"After installation, the supplier will invoice MBIE [Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment] and receive up to $4000 as the subsidy. The retailer will need to pay the supplier any remaining costs."
The extra $4 million in funding for regional crime prevention, and a further $2m to support intensive services and youth engagement had been made available, Hipkins said.
The Retail Crime Prevention programme - which offered shop owners who suffered armed robbery access to other protection measures - had as promised also been extended to cover the past 12 months, he said.
Police will begin contacting recent victims in January to assess their needs.
