Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information after a jewellery shop was robbed earlier this afternoon.
This incident happened at around 5.15pm at the Rox Jewellery store on George Street.
Two men walked into the shop wearing hooded jumpers with hoods pulled up and one of the men was carrying what appeared to be an axe.
They immediately started to smash up the glass jewellery display cabinets using the axe, before one of the men grabbed a shop assistant and forced her to open a window display at the front of the shop.
This man was holding what appeared to be a firearm.
Both men then left the shop with a quantity of jewellery, before putting on helmets and making off from the scene on a motorcycle which was later found abandoned in Northumberland Street Lane North.
One helmet is described as being red in colour while the other is described as white.
The axe has since been recovered and will be sent off for forensic analysis.
The man who had used the axe within the shop is described as wearing dark coloured top and jogging bottoms with a stripe down the sleeve and leg.
The other man is described as wearing a dark top and dark jogging type trousers.
Witnesses describe one of the men speaking with an English accent, while the other is described as having a local accent.
Police are now appealing for information to trace the two men responsible.
In particular, officers would like to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of the jewellery shop at the time of the incident and who may have seen the suspects.
Similarly, officers are keen to speak to motorists who may have seen the motorbike driving towards the New Town at around 5.30pm.
Detective Inspector Stuart Harkness from Lothian and Borders Police said:- “Thankfully no one was seriously injured during this incident however it was a distressing experience for those who were in the shop at the time.
“It happened on one of the busiest streets in Edinburgh and we know it would have been witnessed by a large number of people. I am directly appealing to anyone who saw the disturbance at the jewellers or who saw the motorcycle driving through the city to get in touch immediately.
“Tracing these suspects is our main priority and we have got a large number of resources exploring a number of lines of enquiry.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Lothian and Borders Police immediately on 0131 311 3131 or Crimestoppers in complete confidence on 0800 555 111.
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