Armed robbers hit Hamilton bank

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THREAT: A robber points a gun at a man in the Chartwell Square Post Shop during a robbery on Saturday.

isay: This man robbed a post bank in Hamilton on Saturday. Do you know who he is? Are you the person he is pointed a gun at? We want to hear from you e-mail isay@waikatotimes.co.nz

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LATEST: A customer at a suburban Hamilton post office had a rifle thrust into his face during an armed robbery on Saturday morning.

Two heavily disguised armed robbers burst into the Chartwell Square Post Shop, which also houses KiwiBank, soon after 10am.

"One of the pair had a long firearm and held it in people's faces, ordering the 12 or so customers in the store to lie down on the floor," Detective Chris McRae said.

The other man demanded cash from a KiwiBank teller.

Both men then fled with an unknown quantity of cash to a stolen grey Nissan hatchback, where a third man was waiting. No staff or customers were harmed.

The vehicle - a 1997 grey Nissan SRV hatchback, registration BTK243 - was found soon after in nearby Donny Park. It was stolen from The Warehouse in Hillcrest on Friday.

Police want to hear from anyone who may have seen the vehicle leading up to the robbery.

"Given the offenders appear to think little of threatening people with firearms it's vital we locate them as soon as possible before they re-offend. To do that we need the public's help," Mr McRae said.

The Post Shop was closed following the robbery.

This is the third robbery of a Chartwell bank in the past two months.

The ASB Bank at Chartwell was targeted on October 2, then Westpac bank, Chartwell, on October 15.

A man has been charged in connection with the October incidents.

- © Fairfax NZ News