Police seek man who robbed service station wearing socks

Police have released images of a man wearing socks entering the Pāpāmoa Z service station on Domain Rd. Image / Suppled

Police are on the hunt for a man wearing socks and no shoes, after a knifepoint robbery at Pāpāmoa Z Energy service station.

Police said about 10.30pm on Monday, an unknown male wearing socks but no shoes entered the Z Energy service station on Domain Rd, Pāpāmoa.

Inside, the male used a knife to threaten a female employee and rob the service station of a number of items, including cash and tobacco, the statement said.

The worker was left shaken and upset but was not physically harmed.

Police are seeking the public's assistance to identify the offender shown above.

The female staff member was left badly shaken after the robbery last night.

The station was robbed by a man who was also wearing a hoodie and a white bandanna just before 10.30pm, Z Energy spokeswoman Sheena Thomas said.

Thomas said the offender, who was armed with a knife and carrying a sports bag, walked in and up to the staff member and demanded she handed over cash and cigarettes.

Police have released images of the shoeless man who entered the Z service station last night. Image / Supplied

"The robbery was over pretty quickly and the robber fled with a small amount of cash and a small amount of tobacco," she said.

Thomas said the female staff member, who was working alone in the station at the time, was left "very shaken" but was fortunately unhurt and offered to attend counselling.

A representative from Z Energy's head office visited the station today to offering their support to the victim, as were police forensic staff to swab for fingerprints, she said.

"We also handed over high-visibility CCTV footage of the robbery to police," she said.

Thomas said at this stage it was unknown whether the offender fled the area on foot or hopped into a waiting vehicle.

Thomas said she believed it was only a matter of time before the robber was caught and urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the police.

Either phone Tauranga police on 07 577 4300 or anonymously call the Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.