Gas station robbed for second time in a week

A gas station on Springfield Rd. was robbed for the second time in a week.

The Circle K Shell was targeted by two suspects, a man and a woman, at 11:30 p.m. Monday night.

An employee was threatened with a knife by the man while the female kept watch at the door.

The same business was robbed the previous week, around 1 a.m., with one of the suspects threatening an employee with a piece of pipe.

Police are investigating a possible connection between the two robberies.

The male suspect involved in the robbery on Nov. 22, is described as 20 to 30 years old and about 6 feet tall. The female is described as being a similar age.

In both incidents, the suspects ran off toward Cooper Rd. with an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise.

“With the holiday season approaching, the Kelowna RCMP is encouraging businesses to implement extra security measures to protect their stores and their employees,” Cpl. Tammy Lobb said in a media release. “Gas Stations, liquor stores and cannabis stores have been the target of robberies during the month of November”.

She offered key holiday security tips for businesses including, in part: using a buddy system – if employees are working into the night, make sure they are working in pairs. Do frequent deposits and change up these routines. Limit entry points of the store to just one - control access by securing exterior doors and consider a buzz-in-only system

Anyone with any information on or who may have witnessed this incident is asked to contact the Robbery Unit by emailing E_Kelowna_General_Enquiries@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or remain completely anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net