AACS: ZERO TOLERANCE NEEDED NOW

August 8, 2018: This time it happened in Springvale South and a convenience store worker was shot. It could have been much, much worse. A zero tolerance stance against degenerates who commit violent crimes against small businesses can wait not a moment longer, says the Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS). 
“We’re supposed to be relieved when these violent robberies don’t result in injuries even more dramatic, traumatic or even fatal. The truth is, they should not be occurring in the first place,” AACS CEO Jeff Rogut says.
“Both the Victorian Government and Opposition have said the right things in terms of recognising how serious the situation with crime is on the ground. But now is the time for action.”
As of Wednesday morning, the offenders of the robberies occurring early this morning at stores on Springvale Road and Heatherton Road remain at large, and Mr Rogut lends his support to Victoria Police in apprehending those responsible.
“When these criminals are found we, like all Victorians, demand they are punished with the full force of the law. We want them tried as violent criminals and we want them locked up for a very long time,” Mr Rogut says.
“People who think that robbing a convenience store is an easy way to make money and steal tobacco must recognise that, if they get caught, they will face a lengthy gaol term. They must also understand that the Police will leave no stone unturned in tracking them down.”
The AACS has reinforced the role the Federal Government has to play in creating a regulatory environment that better protects small businesses, focusing on the drivers of criminal activity and disrupting those crimes at the source.
“The enormous excise payable by consumers when they purchase legal tobacco has made illicit tobacco a highly attractive option for people facing increasing cost of living pressure. And tobacco is invariably a target of violent robberies committed against convenience stores,” Mr Rogut says.
“We have spelled this situation clearly, and repeatedly, to police and Government at all levels. It’s time to put a halt on regular excise increases on legal tobacco and begin to wrestle control back from the criminals involved in black market trade.”
The most recent research on illicit tobacco by KPMG shows that more than one in seven cigarettes consumed in Australia has been illegally sourced.
Illicit tobacco represents a huge proportion of the total tobacco market in Australia and the spate of violent robberies we are seeing occur in our communities is just one of the flow-on impacts.
Further information: Media enquiries:
Jeff Rogut
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Association of Convenience Stores
Ph: +61 467 873 789
Stephen Naylor
Wise McBaron Communication
Ph: +61 (2) 9279 4770