Police hunt for ‘polite’ robber

POLICE are hunting for a “polite” armed robber who stole cash and cigarettes from a Launceston service station.

Detective Inspector Philippa Burk said the man produced a sawn-off .22 shotgun and demanded money from a male staff member at the Wellington St BP petrol station at 11pm on Thursday before fleeing a short time later with cash and cigarettes.

She said the man, who was about 25 years old and 165-170cm tall with fair skin and no visible tattoos, had “actually been quite polite” when asking for the cash.

He was wearing dark pants, a long-sleeved black top, white sneakers and a black baseball cap with a reflective patch on the peak. There was one customer in the service station at the time of the robbery.

Inspector Burk said neither the customer nor the staff member were physically injured during the robbery.

The incident was captured on CCTV.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen a person matching the offender’s description to contact them.

They would also like to hear from anyone who saw a green or blue stationwagon with roof racks — possibly a Holden Commodore or a Ford Falcon —driving erratically in the area of Wellington, Frederick and Bathurst streets at that time. Information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au.