Staff left shaken after 'terrifying' armed robbery

Detectives are appealing for information and witnesses following the report of an armed robbery in south Belfast on Sunday evening, 18th September.

Detective Sergeant Ash said: “At approximately 8.20pm, two men entered a commercial premises in the Lisburn Road area.

“The suspects approached two members of staff behind the till area and demanded they hand over money. One of the men was armed with a knife.

“Both staff members were ordered to fill bags with cigarettes, e-cigarettes and alcohol before the two men then entered the till area and begin filling the bags themselves.

“A member of staff was also moved into a room by the suspect with a knife – nothing was taken from here.

“At approximately 8.30pm both of the men then left through the front entrance of the premises and turned left down Tates Avenue.

“Both of the men are believed to be aged in their 30s and were wearing dark grey tracksuit bottoms.

“The man who produced a knife at the staff members was wearing a light grey hooded top that had a black front and grey trainers.

“The second man was wearing a light grey hooded top with red sleeves and white and black trainers and had a cap on under his hood. He was also carrying a grey rucksack under his arm and had a tattoo on the top of his right hand.

“Both staff members, whilst physically unharmed, were left shaken by what was obviously a terrifying experience for them.

“Our investigation is now underway and we are appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time and has any information, or who saw two men matching these descriptions, to call detectives on 101, quoting reference number 1733 of 18/09/22.”

Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org