A man will appear in the Hutt Valley District Court today charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of attempted aggravated robbery after being arrested last night.
The Queen St Pharmacy in Upper Hutt was first robbed on the evening on Sunday, October 7.
A 29-year-old entered the store’s Andrews Lane entrance at 7.10pm and confronted two employees with a large knife, demanding prescription medication.
After receiving a quantity of drugs he left the shop.
Police were called again around 10.50am on Saturday, October 13, following another robbery in which the man made off with a small amount of prescription medication.
The man was arrested after allegedly attempting to rob the pharmacy for a third time yesterday evening.
At 6.51pm the man, armed with a craft knife, tried to enter the back door of the pharmacy.
Staff locked the door and the offender left the scene.
In response, Police set up cordons and carried out thorough area enquiries.
Investigative work had already established a positive line of enquiry in regards to a suspect and at 8.20 pm the man was located in the Totara Park area and arrested.
Inspector James McKay said the outcome is pleasing.
"This arrest is the result of great coordinated Police work in conjunction with the assistance of the pharmacy staff.
“Aggravated robberies are vicious crimes and are incredibly traumatic for the victims involved.
"We hope this result shows the community that Police do not tolerate this type of offending and we are committed to making sure people are held accountable for their actions."
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre