The public’s help is needed in capturing two men posing as police officers who robbed a Laundromat on Carmichael Road and shot a police officer.
The plea from Chief Supt Hulan Hanna comes after the officer was shot shortly after 3.30am yesterday.
The Superwash laundromat was robbed by two men who not only identified themselves as officers, but were dressed in police uniforms and armed with shotguns.
On leaving the store, the men noticed two officers approaching and opened fire, hitting one in the left arm and “leg areas”.
According to police press liaison Walter Evans, the injured officer was rushed to hospital by ambulance and was last night listed in stable condition.
Reportedly, at the scene of the crime in nearby bushes a pair of gloves, a mask, shotgun, and a small amount of cash were discovered.
Mr Hanna said it is still not known if the impostors are connected to a spree of robberies last month that utilised a similar “mode of operation”.
Although declaring it highly unlikely, Mr Hanna admitted that there was a possibility that the robbers could, in fact, have been officers.
“It is easy for a person to pretend to be a police officer because they know that if they go to someone’s home and say they are police officers the average person would entertain them.
“While it is of concern to us that persons would pretend to be police officers, if you go back in time as far as recent memory you would have persons from time to time who would put on jackets or other paraphernalia and say they are police officers,” he said.
Mr Hanna promised that, although the men got away this time, “they will be apprehended at some point.”
“The behaviour of police officers going into crime would be something that would be more on the slide; as opposed to taking a gun and boldly going into an establishment and announcing this is a hold-up in police uniform.
“Any right-thinking person would expect for the police to be concerned, and so we are not taking it in a cavalier fashion.
“But certainly we do not want to read too much into it for persons to become afraid of police officers,” he said.
Mr Hanna said that, if such crimes go too long without being stopped, it won’t be long before the crime is replicated in the community.
Therefore the public is asked to phone in to their nearest police station or call 919 if they have any information which could lead to the arrest of the two men.
By PAUL TURNQUEST, Tribune Staff Reporter
