April 14, 2016 12.51 pm This story is over 94 months old

Police release shocking CCTV videos of Lincoln knife-point robberies

Lincolnshire Police have released CCTV footage in connection with a series of distressing knife-point robberies in and around Lincoln as investigations continue. As previously reported, there have been six incidents of men entering shops in the area  in recent weeks, wielding knifes and demanding money from shop assistants. The following footage relates to four of…

Lincolnshire Police have released CCTV footage in connection with a series of distressing knife-point robberies in and around Lincoln as investigations continue.

As previously reported, there have been six incidents of men entering shops in the area  in recent weeks, wielding knifes and demanding money from shop assistants.

The following footage relates to four of the recent incidents and contains shocking scenes, showing the robbers threatening shop assistants with bladed weapons before fleeing.

CCTV of the robbery at the Co-op shop on Skellingthorpe Road in Lincoln on March 12

CCTV of the robbery at the Co-op store on Queen Elizabeth Road in Lincoln on March 13

CCTV of the robbery at the Co-op store on Station Road in Branston on March 18

CCTV of the robbery at McColls store on Oakwood Avenue in Lincoln on April 12

Police previously said that they believed the robberies were “a coincidence” but now suspect that some of them may indeed be linked.

However, the force has said that the number of robberies is unprecedented.

DCI Diane Coulson of Lincolnshire Police said: “We hope that by releasing these images we can help trigger the memories of people who may have been in the area and may have witnessed any of these incidents or seen anybody in the area acting in a way that seemed suspicious or out of character.

“We believe that the robbery on Queen Elizabeth Road and the one last night in Oakwood Avenue may be linked and we are investigating any possible links with the other incidents.

“We are doing our utmost to track down those responsible and I would like to issue an appeal to anyone who knows these individuals to get in touch with us, even anonymously.”

Incident details are as follows:

  • The first robbery took place at the Co-op on Skellingthorpe Road on Saturday, March 12 and saw man wielding a knife at a member of staff before demanding she had money over from the till. (incident 440 of March 12)
  • The second robbery took place around four hours later outside the cashpoint at Sainsbury’s on Carholme Road. A woman using the cashpoint was approached by a man again carrying a knife, who demanded money from her. (incident 21 of March 13)
  • A third robbery was reported to police on Sunday, March 13, involving two men armed with knives entering the Co-op store on Queen Elizabeth Road, and demanding cash from the male member of staff. (incident 383 of March 13)
  • The fourth robbery occurred at the Lincolnshire Co-op in Branston on March 18. A man entered the shop and threatened a female shop assistant with a knife before grabbing a bag containing takings. (incident 445 of March 18)
  • A fifth robbery took place at the Spar shop on Woodfield Avenue at around 9.20pm on March 26. A man entered the shop and demanded money from the till. (incident 434 of March 26)
  • The sixth and most recent robbery took place at McColl’s on Oakwood Avenue in Lincoln at around 9.15 on April 12. A man carrying a knife entered the shop and demanded money from two female members of staff. (incident 412 of April 12)

Anyone with information related to any of the above incidents is asked to call 101 quoting the listed incident number.

People can also give information anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.