In addition to targeting the Teddington branch of Barclays in April of this year, he is believed to have struck six times including re-visiting the same branch of Barclays for a second time in May.

On each occasion he has told employees that he had a gun in a carrier bag and threatened to shoot staff and customers if they refuse to hand over money.

Last Thursday there was yet another robbery at Barclays in Hampton Hill that followed this pattern but the suspect fled empty-handed.

Detectives believe these and other robberies including Halifax in Teddington last year and two attempted robberies in Whitton and Twickenham are all linked due to the similar nature and description of the suspect.

He is believed to aged between 45 and 55, approximately 5ft 10 and of medium build with pock-marked skin. He spoke with a London accent and wore glasses on each of the robberies.

If you have any information about this suspect please call the Flying Squad on 020 8247 4804 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A 52-year-old woman was stabbed in the leg at her home in Down Road (opposite Munster Road). After the attack at 8pm the victim was taken to hospital by ambulance.

If you have any information concerning this incident then call Detective Constable Gareth James, violent crime unit at Teddington police station: 020 8247 5836 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you see anyone tampering or acting suspiciously around these covers (even if they look legitimate with hi-vis vests on) then please call 999 so the police can check the workers authenticity. If vehicles are nearby, these will probably not have any company identification on them.

Recent thefts have taken place during the day but these may occur in less busy times – if emergency work is undertaken overnight by official workers then the area will be lit up for health and safety reasons – this may be one give away that the removal may not be legitimate.

Missing manhole cover in Little Queens Road

The theft of metal items such as these manhole covers and copper cables are an increasingly popular crime due to rising metal prices (in particular 300% for copper) – these are sold to unscrupulous scrap dealers who ship the metal abroad.

As taxpayers, we all end up paying for the replacements and the open holes left by the removal causes serious danger to the public and motorists alike.

The lone robber struck just after midday and the raid sounds very similar to the one only last month.

Police believe it is the same armed robber who stole £2,000 in April – this time he left with an unspecified amount of money, no-one was harmed during the raid but the suspect escaped.

As a resident you can meet with your local Safer Neighbourhoods representatives to have your say about issues that concern you in the area.

The team will be on hand to answer any questions about local policing issues, give general updates, discuss future focus areas and inform about how police have been tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in the area.

Teddington Safer Neighbourhoods Team

Without these valuable feedback sessions the police may not become aware of issues that are troubling local residents and businesses.

Previous focus areas have been:

• Anti-social behaviour by youths
• Burglary
• Shoplifting (combatted greatly by the Townlink radio system)

So why not attend the meeting and help make a difference to your neighbourhood!

Membership is growing steadily and is now 239 – you don’t have to be a dog walker to join this group.

This issue includes

• New speed limit in Bushy Park
• Chestnut Sunday details
• Safer Team surgery dates at the Pheasantry Welcome Centre
• Info for how to deal with lost and stray dogs
• Park pedestrian and vehicle gate closing times up to July

Email sptbushy@met.police.uk if you would also like to join and sign up and receive the various benefits.

LGC Forensics has helped solve some high-profile police cases such as the murder of Damilola Tayor, Rachel Nickell, Chantel Taylor, the recent Colette Aram case as well as exonerating the Cardiff Three. The DNA database to compare samples to is growing each year and contains 5 million individuals details – you don’t have to be convicted of a crime to have your DNA sampled, just arrested.

Other notable applications of DNA matching by LGC have been helping identifying victims of the 2005 London Underground bombings and finally confirming the identities of WWI soldiers bodies from pits in Fromelles, northern France so that their bodies can be reburied and visited in the future.

Emma Westacott (head of DNA operations) is keen to point out that their work is quite different to what you see on TV in shows such as CSI. Much of their work involves painstaking removal of tissue from contaminated objects from crime-scenes (they call this process ‘item examination’) with cross-referencing and elimination of police and LGC workers DNA.

The man actually waited calmly in the queue with other customers before approaching the counter and handing over a note that read ‘I have a gun, give me everything you have’.

After noticing a gun-shaped item in a carrier bag, terrified staff handed over £2,000 before he left the bank turning right onto Broad Street.

Police say that the unidentified robber (pictured on CCTV here) has been linked to other offences at banks around Teddington in the last three years.

Anyone with any information should get in touch with DC Will Man (Flying Squad) tel: on 020 8247 4804 or call Crimestoppers anonymously: 0800 555 111.

Nearby businesses have heard from police that the raider entered the bank with a firearm (or what appeared to be), handed a note to staff which demanded cash. Bank staff involved in the robbery were shaken by the experience but not harmed.

He is believed to have left with an undisclosed amount. The attack is particularly audacious considering how close the bank is to the police station and the Causeway is a popular route to and from it for both Police and Community Support Officers.

Teddington has been hit by several raids in recent months: KC Pharmacy, Nicols Jewellers, Halifax (not for the first time) and also a security van outside Natwest last year.

Police today were asking nearby businesses if they might have captured any images of the raider leaving the scene on security cameras to find details about any vehicle used. Perhaps it’s time that the high street got permanent CCTV coverage?

[Update] More details released

The nine-day crime spree started on the 3rd of March and has terrified staff with various deadly weapons in West Molesey, Esher, Weybridge, Claygate and Teddington.

KC pharmacy in Teddington was targeted by the robber using a crowbar – threatening to murder a member of staff unless he was handed money and diazepam but was stopped in his tracks after the pharmacist hit an alarm and chased him away with two spatulas and managed to record his car registration.