Series of armed robberies may be linked

Police believe a number of armed robberies in Hamilton in recent weeks could be linked and say luck is the only reason no one has been harmed so far.

Five service stations in Hamilton have been robbed since December 16 and police have asked the public to be vigilant around service stations at night amid concerns the robbers may strike again.

In each incident a male offender has walked into a service station, always armed with a weapon, confronted the attendant and run off on foot with small amounts of cash.

Detective Ricky Thompson said in four out of the five robberies the offender has been described as a male Maori of stocky build.

In one robbery, he was described as a male Caucasian in his late 20s or early 30s, approximately 1.6m tall, of stocky build and had a mole on his right cheek.

The robber has worn various clothing at each robbery, works alone, always runs off on foot and does not use a vehicle.

No one had been injured in the robberies but police believe that has probably been through sheer luck.

In one robbery, the offender smashed a hammer over the counter after the attendant could not open the till and he left empty-handed.

"There could be more than one person involved and we are relying on information from the public to help us find them," Mr Thompson said.

"These people need to be identified and they could strike again."

Security camera pictures from three of the robberies have caught the robber in action and police hope someone may be able to identify either the robber or the clothes he was wearing.

Mr Thompson said it was essential that any suspicious behaviour around service stations at any time of the day or night should be reported immediately to police and a number of staff had been assigned to investigate the robberies.

- NZPA