Children ordered on to floor during armed robbery

The robber was caught on security camera.

Three young children were ordered to sit on the floor and keep quiet by armed men who robbed a Rotorua dairy on Saturday.

Two men went into Jerams' Superette at 3pm and threatened the owner with an axe, while a third went out to the back of the shop.

People who were in the shop, including three young children, were ordered to sit on the floor and be quiet.

The robbers made off with cash and personal jewellery.

The dairy owner said the shop had been robbed several times, and in 1990 he was left in serious condition after an armed assailant attacked him with a hammer.

Just one day after Saturday's robbery, a balaclava-clad man stole cash from the till of St Andrews Superette in Rotorua before fleeing.

Police believed the two robberies were linked and were seeking to hear from anyone who may have seen a silver Mazda Familia being abandoned, or witnessed suspicious activity in the area on Saturday afternoon.

Anyone with information can contact Rotorua Police on 07 348 0099 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.