POLICE say the public remains the best source of information in helping them to catch an armed robber who held up the Co-op store in Hatherleigh on Sunday. A man wearing a balaclava walked into the shop at around 9.10pm and threatened a member of staff with a long-barrelled weapon. Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen an old red car, possibly a Ford Sierra, in the Hatherleigh vicinity throughout Sunday. The robber demanded cash from the till, which was given to him and took cigarettes and two bottles of Bell?s whisky before fleeing and speeding off in the vehicle. Det Con Ben Maguire, who is leading the investigation, said the vehicle was the police?s main line of inquiry at present. He said the eyes and ears of the public represented the best chance of success in apprehending the offender, and urged anyone who might be able to provide any detail, however small, to contact the team of detectives based at Okehampton Police Station who are continuing enquiries into the incident. ?If you live in Hatherleigh, we are asking that you take a few minutes to think about what you did that day, what did you see? Have you seen a vehicle of this type hanging around prior to the robbery? ?Fortunately this is still a very safe area to live and incidents of this nature are still quite rare. ?Obviously, we are concerned because a firearm appears to have been used and this was potentially an extremely violent situation.? No-one was injured and no shots were fired. The offender made off with only a small amount of cash, but police say because he carried a firearm they are treating the crime very seriously. There were two male members of staff on the premises at the time of the robbery, one in the shop, the second in the stock room. DC Maguire said: ?It is an extremely traumatic situation and they are coping as well as can be expected in the circumstances and have been able to give us very clear information.? The man who held up the store has been described as white, 6ft in height, medium build and wearing a brown jacket. A Co-op spokesperson said: ?The staff members involved are shaken but unhurt. ?As with any incident of this nature, the Co-op is reviewing security measures at the store and would appeal to anyone with information to come forward. ?We would like to apologise to our customers for the delay in opening the store on Monday morning, while forensic tests were carried out.? Anyone who may have information is asked to call the police on 08705 777444 and quote incident number 1076/26/02/06. Information can also be passed confidentially via Crimestoppers 0800 555 111. WPC Angie Frost, crime prevention officer, said if any retail shop or business would like to discuss their security or feel they need reassurance, they can contact her on 01837 658457.
