KEY POINTS:
A man who tried to rob a South Auckland bank yesterday left empty-handed, but with his image clearly caught on security cameras.
The man entered the ASB in Bairds Rd, Otara about 1.40pm, waited in line, then presented a note demanding money. He backed up the note by stating, "I'm not joking," said Detective Sergeant Shaun Vickers.
The man - who was not carrying a weapon - walked from the bank when alarms were activated. He had not been given any money.
Police want to hear from any witnesses to the attempted robbery, or anyone who knows the man.
Earlier yesterday, two men armed with a sawn-off shotgun robbed the Meadowbank ASB in Auckland before fleeing, with an undisclosed sum, in a green Peugeot car just after 1.30pm.
The car was found in a carpark at the Waiatarua Reserve, at the intersection of Grand Drive and Abbots Way. Police want to hear from anyone who saw the car near the bank or the reserve.