Witness appeal following robbery at Queen Street pawn shop

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information after a pawn shop was robbed earlier yesterday afternoon.

The incident happened at around 5.00pm at the Duncanson and Edwards Pawn Shop on the corner of Frederick Street and Queen Street.

Two men walked into the shop wearing identical hooded tops with the hoods pulled up and one of the men was carrying what appeared to be an axe.

They started to smash up the glass jewellery display cabinets and grabbed a quantity of jewellery including rings and watches.

Both men then left the shop with a quantity of jewellery, jumping on push bikes and heading west on Queen Street.

The men, who both pulled the hoods of their tops over their faces hiding their features, were wearing the same tops which had a light grey body and hood with a black chequered pattern and with black sleeves.  The man who apparently had an axe is described as about 6ft tall, was wearing a dark sleeved top underneath the hooded top and a baseball cap with a light blue peak.

The other man is white and was wearing distinctive black and white footwear.

Both of them made off on push bikes. One of the bikes is described as a white mountain bike with possible front suspension and the other is a black framed mountain bike.

Police, who are appealing for information to trace the two men, would like to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of the pawn shop at the time of the incident and who may have seen the suspects.

Officers are also keen to speak to motorists who may have seen the push bikes heading west along Queen Street just after 5 o’clock.

Detective Sergeant Bob Richardson from Police Scotland 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 at a time when there were a lot of people on the move and we know it would have been witnessed by a number of people. I am directly appealing to anyone who saw the disturbance at the pawn shop or who saw the push bikes as they made their way through the city to get in touch.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Police Scotland immediately on 101 or Crimestoppers in complete confidence on 0800 555 111.