Police want to hear from anyone who recognises this man seen with the getaway vehicle at Z Porowini in Whangārei before the robbery. Photo / supplied
Police want to hear from anyone who recognises this man seen with the getaway vehicle at Z Porowini in Whangārei before the robbery. Photo / supplied
Police have released fresh CCTV images they hope will lead them to two men who robbed a Northland superette at gunpoint on Saturday.
About 4.30pm on Saturday two offenders entered Waipapa Superette and Lotto armed with a hammer and a rifle or air gun.
While one man pointed the gun down the aisle of the store — which had a number of customers at the time — the other emptied the Lotto till and jumped over the counter to help himself to the cigarette cabinet.
Police want to hear from anyone who recognises this man seen with the getaway vehicle at Z Kamo in Whangārei on the night before the robbery. Photo / supplied
The pair then fled north on State Highway 10 in what was thought to be a light-blue Nissan Primera with number plates belonging to another vehicle.
Police earlier released CCTV images from the raid on the superette but this afternoon they also released security camera images of the getaway car at two service stations in Whangārei.
One of the service station images, taken at Z on Porowini Ave on Saturday before the robbery, shows a man wearing the same clothing as the robber who was holding the rifle.
Another photo, taken on Friday evening at Z Kamo, shows another man coming in to pay for petrol after arriving in the same car.
Detective Sergeant Chris Fouhy, of Mid North police, urged anyone who recognised the men, or who had seen the car in Whangārei prior to the robbery, to call the Kaikohe station on (09) 405 2960 or the 24-hour Crimestoppers line, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
He also wanted to hear from anyone who had seen the robbery or the getaway car heading north up SH10 but hadn't yet spoken to police.
He was unsure if the man seen with the car at Z Kamo was involved in the robbery but police still needed to speak to him.
It was not yet clear how much had been taken in the Waipapa robbery.
At one point a bandanna covering the face of the offender holding the rifle slipped down to reveal his face. Photo / supplied
The getaway car appears to be a Nissan Primera though it carries the markings of a Mazda MPV and a licence plate, GHC408, from another car.
Meanwhile, about 12.30pm on Sunday a Kaikohe dairy was subjected to an unrelated aggravated robbery in which a youth used a filleting knife to threaten staff.
In that case police used CCTV to identify the offender's clothing, and the clothing he switched into outside the store, then located him during a search of the area.
Police had also located a 13-year-old boy who had been waiting outside the store and was involved in the clothing swap.
A 15-year-old had been charged with aggravated robbery and was due to appear in the Kaikohe Youth Court yesterday. The 13-year-old had been referred to Youth Aid.
Fouhy said the knife and some of the cash had been recovered. The rest had apparently been shared out among friends.
