Police hunt for courteous robber

Police want to speak to this man about a number of armed robberies in Manukau and Manurewa over the past few weeks. Photo / Supplied

Police are hunting two robbers they believe are responsible for a spate of hold-ups in South Auckland in the past few weeks.

One of the men, linked to at least four armed hold-ups in Manukau and Manurewa, says "please" and "thank you" while demanding money and waving a gun.

The first of the hold-ups took place at the Shell service station on Wiri Station Rd on August 13.

Robberies then followed at the Halsey Rd Foodmarket in Manurewa on August 21, the Rata Vine Foodmarket in Wiri on August 22 and 31, and the Grand Vue Dairy in Manurewa last Tuesday.

With the exception of the Halsey Rd incident where two offenders entered the store, the robberies were committed by a single offender armed with a silver or black pistol.

Police said they weren't ruling out the possibility that two men were taking turns at committing the robberies.

In each robbery the man or men had got away with cash.

"In at least three of the incidents he's said 'please give me the money' and showed no signs of aggression," Senior Sergeant Gary Lendrum said.

The offender has worn a white hooded sweatshirt in most of the robberies while disguising his face with a black scarf. He is of a stocky build and medium height.

The robberies have all occurred between 6.30pm and 8pm.

Meanwhile police are looking for a man who robbed the Paper Plus on Great South Rd on August 25 and last Thursday.

On both occasions he handed over a withdrawal slip that said on the back of it that he had a knife and demanded money.

Constable Dave Yandall said the offender is believed to be Maori or Polynesian, aged between 35 and 45, of medium build, between 170cm and 175cm tall, with black hair and a moustache or goatee.

The man in the first incident was wearing a white baseball cap, a blue, white and red jacket with a Canterbury logo on it and a white hooded top under the jacket.

The man in the second incident was wearing a grey polo shirt with a logo on the front and black jeans.