POLICE in St Helens are urging shop owners and workers NOT to tackle armed criminals who threaten them during robberies.

The warning comes following a spate of incidents at off-licences and other late shops in the area, in which either knives or what appear to be firearms, are used by the culprits to get the money.

Detective Inspector Jon Dawson, of St Helens CID, told the Star: "Shops which are open late seem to be experiencing an increase in the number of robberies committed and we are looking for as much information as possible which would enable us to catch those responsible.

"However, I must stress that shopkeepers and assistants should not think about physically tackling these people themselves because it is not worth getting seriously injured or even killed for a few hundred pounds. Instead, if they could concentrate on getting a good description of the people responsible, and in addition, make sure that all security measures are in correct working order, this would be a great help to us."

IF you would like security advice from the police, you can contact D.I Dawson on 0151 777 6060 and he will arrange for an officer to survey your premises.

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