Man armed with suspected machete steals till from North Belfast shop

Q Newsdesk

A man armed with a suspected machete has stolen a till from a shop in North Belfast.

It happened at a premises in the Old Park road area at around 9 last night.

The man - who had his face covered - threatened two female workers, who were left "very badly shaken".

The till was later found abandoned in a nearby alleyway.

Detectives appeal for info and witnesses following report of armed robbery of commercial premises on Oldpark Road, Belfast at approx 9.00pm last night. Any info to detectives at Musgrave on 101, ref no 1327 15/12/18 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

— PSNI (@PoliceServiceNI) 16 December 2018

A PSNI spokesperson said:

Police received a report that a man entered the shop and threatened two female members of staff with what is believed to be either a machete or a cleaver type knife, before he made off with the till.

He is described as being approximately 5'8" tall and wearing a dark puffa jacket, a hoodie with the hood up, a red scarf covering his face and orange builder type gloves.

The women were not injured as a result of this incident, however they were left very badly shaken.

It is believed that a second suspect was waiting outside the premises during this incident.  Both men made off in the direction of  Ardoyne Avenue.

The till was found abandoned in an alleyway off Oldpark Square.

Detective Sergeant Maguire would appeal to anyone who noticed any suspicious activity or anyone who has information that could assist us with our enquiries to contact detectives at Musgrave on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 1327 15/2/18.  Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.