Four southern businesses are eligible for some of the $1.5 million of government measures to help prevent robberies.
The confirmation comes as police continue to investigate several unsolved armed robberies in Dunedin.
The Government announced the $1.5 million fund in this year's Budget to assist embattled shop owners.
The southern locations would not be disclosed, but it is understood at least two of them are Dunedin dairies that have been the target of multiple armed robberies in the past year.
''Four businesses in Southern district have been identified as potentially being eligible for co-funded prevention measures,'' a police spokesman said.
''This number may change as the work continues around the country.
''We are not releasing locations, as this could inadvertently put other businesses at risk.''
The scheme includes providing some financing to shop owners for measures such as fog cannons, audible alarms, DNA sprays and CCTV cameras.
Dunedin police are investigating a string of robberies of Dunedin businesses this year, including armed robberies of the Halfway Bush Convenience Store and the Tainui Store.
Detective Sergeant Stan Leishman said police had spoken to suspects in regard to the matters, but no-one had been charged at present.
''The files remain open while we continue to investigate them,'' he said.
However, police had not ruled out links between some of the aggravated robberies in the city during recent months.
Police had executed search warrants in relation to the robberies and in an attempt to find stolen tobacco which was being sold illegally.
''We'd always be interested in any information in relation to the sale of cheap cigarettes and tobacco, especially on Facebook,'' Det Sgt Leishman said.
''If someone saw it on Facebook and contacted police immediately, that's something we can act on.''
The number of robberies in Southern district has risen almost 30% in the past two financial years. A hundred and nine robberies were reported between July 2016 and June 2017.
Businesses throughout the country had been identified for further preventive measures, police said.
They could not speculate on the total cost to fit a business with the preventive measures.
