Hunt for armed robbers

Police were today hunting armed men who held up a Katikati Kiwibank, one of two robberies in the Western Bay yesterday that are believed to be connected.
Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said police were hunting for four men armed with a sawn-off shotgun, who wore "Casper the Ghost" style masks in the Katikati raid, and were appealing to the public for sightings of a black Nissan Skyline last seen heading for Waihi.
The drama began about 11.30am yesterday when Te Puke Jewellers on Jellicoe St was raided.
Mr Turner said three men assaulted the shop owner and got away with a "minimal amount" of cash and jewellery.
It is understood shop owner Rob Pearce chased after the offenders, as rings flew off the stand.
The men escaped in a black Nissan Skyline, licence plate ACY453, which had been stolen earlier in the day from outside Mount Maunganui College.
The men refuelled the vehicle at a Greerton service station about 1pm, and drove off without paying.
The second robbery was at Katikati PaperPlus & Post Shop about 2.25pm. Three men entered and pointed a shotgun at staff, demanding cash from the tills and safe at the Kiwibank counter.
A fourth offender waited in a black Nissan Skyline double-parked outside the State Highway 2 shop with its licence plates removed.
Shop owner Dennis Jensen had a shotgun pointed at him and described the incident as "bloody frightening".
"One guy dived over the counter and took the cash, one was pointing the gun and one kept watch, they were yelling at us to open the safe.
There were seven staff working in the shop and about seven customers in the store.
Police said the men got away with "a small amount" of cash.
The car was last seen heading towards Waihi, driven in an "extremely dangerous manner", Mr Turner said.
"It was passing on blind corners and nearly had several head-on motor accidents."
He said many people would have seen the vehicle it may have been parked somewhere in between Greerton or in Katikati. Mr Turner warned the public not to approach the men, but to contact police immediately.
"We are extremely concerned that we have got four people with a sawn-off shotgun targeting places that carry minimal cash in any event.
The Nissan Skyline is described as a two-door vehicle, with a spoiler and no front bumper.
Police used the Eagle helicopter from Auckland and the TrustPower TECT Rescue Helicopter in an effort to find the offenders, searching as far as Whangamata after the vehicle was last seen in Athenree Gorge.
It is understood, the three offenders were caught on security footage.
Mr Jensen had heard that a suspicious car was seen in town earlier in the day "but the getaway vehicle did not look familiar".