Napier: Alleged theft at bank leads to armed police call out

Armed police responding to the alleged incident in Napier CBD. Photo / NZME

Armed police responded to an alleged theft at a bank ATM in Napier CBD on Friday.

Armed police were visible in Napier CBD shortly after noon near the intersection of Hastings St and Emerson St, with plenty of lunchgoers stopping to see what was going on.

Two banks face each other at that intersection - ANZ and ASB.

A police spokeswoman said police were responding to a report someone had been forced to make a withdrawal from a bank ATM.

“[Police received] a report that someone had been verbally threatened and made to withdraw cash,” she said.

“Police are currently making area enquiries to see if the offender can be located.”

A security guard was briefly stopping customers from entering the ANZ branch as a precaution while police were in the area, and a “branch closed” sign was up on the front door of the ASB branch until it re-opened at 1.30pm.

Police had left the area by 1.15pm but were continuing to make inquiries over the alleged incident.