The Prime Minister has held a press conference to announce additional funding measures to fight retail crime.

Jacinda Ardern said a new $4 million fund will be made available to support local council crime prevention programmes to be matched dollar for dollar with councils themselves to expand the $6 million retail Crime Prevention Fund to include aggravated robberies committed during the past 12 months.

A $4,000 subsidy will be made available for all small shops and dairies to install a fog cannons if they choose, not just those who have been the victim of a crime.

Police Minister Chris Hipkins said it won’t happen immediately “but businesses will be able to access the subsidy as soon as the businesses are able to install the fog cannons.”

A journalist asked the Prime Minister why it took a death for the Government to act.

She said “the Council funding that we have announced today was put before cabinet prior to this death.”

Ardern said “ultimately, our goal is to make sure people feel safe at work. No one should go to their place of work, feeling that they are vulnerable to senseless violence and crime.

This is one part of what we can continue to do to make sure that people can go to work safely.”