Anniversary Checks After Redditch Robbery

Police investigating a post office store robbery in Redditch are following up new leads after carrying out anniversary checks at the scene.

A week on from the raid uniformed officers and detectives visited the Matchborough Centre yesterday (Thursday 12 August), to speak to shoppers and residents.

Police were hoping to gather new information in the hunt for four masked men who burst into the store at 9.42am on Thursday 5 August, armed with what are thought to have been crowbars and batons. While loading their haul of cigarettes into a black car at the back of the centre the raiders were disturbed by the arrival of a police officer and sped off empty handed in the direction of Hatfield Close.

Detective Inspector Brian Russell said that during the anniversary checks a number of people had been spoken to who had been in the area at the time of the robbery and had been able to provide new information.

He said: "It proved a very useful exercise and we managed to identify several new witnesses. This has provided us with new leads, which we are obviously following up, and we are very grateful to those people who have helped us.

"However we have still not traced the vehicle used by the robbers which was a black car with an unusual and distinctive plate on the back of it spelling out the name ‘MOONEY'. This car was parked on a path by the Old Sticky Wicket pub during the robbery and afterwards headed off towards Hatfield Close, which is the direction we believe it came from earlier.

"We need to speak to anyone who may have seen this vehicle and its occupants at any time, or if they know where it might be now."

Witnesses or anyone with information about the robbery should call officers at Redditch CID on 0300 333 3000, quoting incident reference 153-S-050810, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Issued: Friday 13 August 2010