Edinburgh Rox raid: Appeal for witnesses after £1m jewel heist

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-21132226

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Police hunting armed robbers who stole jewellery worth £1m from an Edinburgh store are appealing for witnesses.

Two men threatened staff at Rox in Edinburgh, ransacked the shop and made off on a motorcycle last Tuesday.

Officers, who have been studying CCTV and carrying out forensic tests, will quiz people in the area one week on from the robbery.

Detectives appealed for information and said the men may have taken a taxi after dumping their getaway motorbike.

Police said the raiders, who were wearing hooded tops concealing their faces, burst into the Rox store on George Street at about 17:15 last Tuesday.

They were armed with an axe and a gun and smashed display cabinets to steal watches, diamond necklaces and engagement rings.

After fleeing, their black Honda 650 motorcycle was found abandoned in Northumberland Street, North West Lane, along with the axe.

Lothian and Borders Police said both have been undergoing forensic tests.

Det Ch Insp Bobby Deas said: "We are revisiting the scene in order to speak to those people who may have been in the area at the time, and who may have information that can assist our inquiries.

"Officers will be in the area from mid-afternoon into the early evening, and I would encourage anyone who lives or works in the area who thinks they have any information, however small or insignificant it may seem, to speak to officers.

"At present we have a large team of detective officers dedicated to this inquiry, and as part of our ongoing work we have been carrying out extensive CCTV inquiries, along with forensic analysis."

The officer added: "Our inquiries have suggested the culprits may have got into a taxi after abandoning the motorcycle, and we want to speak to any taxi driver who was working in the area around 5.30pm, who thinks they may have picked up the pair in the New Town area, near to Northumberland Street."

One of the robbers had a local accent and the other was said to be English. Both wore dark tops and jogging bottoms.