Daytime robbery of New Plymouth Michael Hill Jewellers caught on video

Another Michael Hill Jewellers has been hit by a brazen daytime raid, this time in downtown New Plymouth.

As onlookers watched on, the masked and hooded robbers armed with hammers smashed cabinets and grabbed the merchandise at the Currie St store, only pausing to issue threats to those looking on.

Video of the incident quickly spread on social media.

Another video seen by the Herald shows a black Subaru Impreza driving down the footpath as the thieves made their escape, sending pedestrians running.

North Beach assistant manager Laurelle Foster said that she saw the Impreza coming down the footpath and headed back inside her next-door shop, shepherding some members of the public to safety and locking the doors.

She looked inside Michael Hill after the robbery and saw every cabinet smashed and glass everywhere.

She said it was the first smash-and-grab in the immediate area that she was aware of and told the Herald it left her feeling uneasy.

Police are now hunting for the thieves, saying in a statement that “this behaviour will not be tolerated”.

Detective Senior Sergeant Gerard Bouterey confirmed that two men drove the stolen 2001 Subaru Impreza on to the footpath just after midday today.

After smashing their way through the store, the two men left the scene, at one point driving on the wrong side of the road.

The car was dumped on Carrington Street and the offenders are yet to be found.

Glass was strewn across the floor of the store after the robbery.

Police appealed for information on the men and the movements of the car earlier that day.

One of the offenders was wearing a blue Puma hooded top, dark pants and a blue surgical mask, and the other offender was wearing a dark-coloured top and pants and had what appeared to be a dark bandana over his face, Bouterey said.

Police added that the offenders were scoping out the area around the store for at least 20 minutes prior to the robbery.

They ask anyone who saw the vehicle at any point this morning to call police on 105 or 0800 287 453 and reference event number P054539061, and asked anyone with video footage to share it with police.

“We would like to reassure the public that this behaviour will not be tolerated,” Detective Senior Sergeant Bouterey said.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to ensure these offenders are located and held accountable for their actions.”