Editorial: Armed robberies alarming

Perpetrator carrying a machete in an attack on the Mobil Service Station on Taradale Rd on Monday night.

The spate of armed robberies in Hawke's Bay recently is certainly unnerving people and concerning police.

It is not just the robberies themselves that are worrying, but the lengths the criminals are going to get what seems to be fairly insignificant loot.

Take the attack on the Mobil Service Station on Taradale Rd on Monday night, which left the attendant with a gashed arm.

The perpetrator was armed with a machete or large knife, for goodness sake! Police are still working out what he stole, but it was probably not a lot of money and some cigarettes. What they are very concerned about is that the criminal seemed to lash out and cut the attendant, who presumably was taking too long.

The attendant is okay, but must be quite shaken by the incident.

The scary thing is that if the swipe of the machete had been a bit wilder, we could have been dealing with a fatality.

Then the charge would have been murder to go along with the aggravated robbery this thug will face when police catch up with him.

We have published the CCTV footage of the man on page one and three of today's paper and if you have any clue as to his identity, don't hesitate to contact police.

Monday's attack is just the latest in a string of robberies in the Bay recently. Later this week Hawke's Bay Today will run an indepth feature on the plague of armed robberies here.

According to crime statistics, reports of robberies in the Eastern Police District Hawke's Bay Area rose from 96 in 2014-15 to 141 in the latest year - up 47 per cent.

We need to catch these people preying on decent, hard-working people who are simply trying to make a living.