Police in attendance after the aggravated robbery at the Lynmore Junction BP service station on Te Ngae Rd on December 10. Photo / File
Police in attendance after the aggravated robbery at the Lynmore Junction BP service station on Te Ngae Rd on December 10. Photo / File
Rotorua's three BP Connect stores are operating on a night pay basis during the late evening and early morning periods after staff were held up at gunpoint at the Te Ngae Rd branch last week.
The inside of the Lynmore branch is normally open to customers 24/7 and the night pay window is not used, but since the December 10 robbery, the night pay method has been enforced between 10pm and 6am daily, and the doors have remained shut.
Spokeswoman Leigh Taylor said, "as you would expect following an aggravated robbery, the team at BP Connect Lynmore Junction are understandably quite shaken".
CCTV image of the December 10 robbery. Photo / Supplied
She said the two staff on at the time were not harmed during the incident but "we continue to actively support them".
Taylor said BP took the safety of its customers and teams "extremely seriously".
"We have strong procedures in place around cash handling, and we keep limited cigarettes in stock.
"All BP Connect sites across New Zealand are fitted with fog cannons, anti-bandit glass, licence plate recognition software, CCTV, and secure rooms to keep our employees safe."
Taylor said in Rotorua BP would "continue to evaluate security and take further steps as necessary".
Police are using CCTV footage to aid their investigation into the Te Ngae Rd robbery.
One of the men involved is described as Māori, around six foot (182m) tall, of a skinny build, and aged in his 20s.
He was wearing a dark hoodie and had a red bandana covering his nose and mouth.
The second man was also described as Māori of a skinny build and was in his late 20s.
He was wearing a grey hoodie.
Police would like to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious around the time of the robbery in the Lynmore Junction/Isles Rd area.
