Silent bank robbery

CCTV image of the bank robber

A man silently robbed a bank in Bury by pressing a handwritten note saying he had a gun against the cashier’s window before making off with the money in a taxi... to Tweedale Street, Rochdale.

The man walked into the Co-Operative Bank at The Rock in Bury at around 4:50pm on Wednesday 19 February.

As he approached the cashier’s desk, he pulled out the handwritten note which read “GIVE ME YOUR MONEY. I HAVE A GUN.”

Fearing for her safety, the cashier gave the thief some money. He then walked off.

It is understood that the man then got into a nearby taxi and was dropped off in Tweedale Street, Rochdale.

Police are now appealing for help in finding the man and have released a CCTV image of him.

The man is described as being white, in his early 20’s, of a pale and spotty complexion, a thin build, 6ft tall, with dark eyes and was wearing a dark top at the time.

Detective Sergeant Ian Partington said: "Although no weapon was physically seen, if you try and put yourselves in the shoes of the cashier, you can begin to imagine how frightened she must have been to see this note pressed against her window.

"Clearly the offender had planned what he was going to do and had written out a note with the sole intention of using the threat of a weapon to scare the woman into giving him money.

"That makes him both a desperate and potentially dangerous man, and we need to find him as soon as possible.

"We know this man got into a taxi and was driven to the Tweedale Street area in Rochdale, so I would appeal to people to look closely at this image. It may be this man lives either in the Bury or Rochdale areas and if you recognise this man, then please come forward. The CCTV still we have issued is of excellent quality so I’m sure someone will recognise him."

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

UPDATE: A man has now been arrested