Police are still searching for the man who committed a robbery in broad daylight at Scotts Supermarket in Burmarrad last Thursday afternoon, sources said.

So far police have not questioned any suspects and are working on tracking down the getaway car used by the robber, sources said.

Although police have CCTV footage of the event in hand, the thief was hooded which has made him more difficult to identify.

Criminologist Saviour Formosa said such crimes were very rare and it was “unheard of” for a thief to risk carrying out a hold-up in broad daylight and in a place filled with people.

The robbery took place at around 3.30pm when the man, wearing a white balaclava, entered the large outlet and demanded cash. He grabbed the first girl in the line of cashiers and dragged her to the ground by her hair as he waved a telescopic baton at other employees.

The man, who was described as about six feet tall, was wearing jeans and a maroon jacket with the number 18 printed on the back.

He snatched cash from two of the tills and ran out. The amount stolen is believed to be in the region of €300 to €500.

The man then drove off in a blue car, believed to be a Ford, with no registration plates.

Dr Formosa pointed out that, apart from the rarity of the timing of the crime, it was also unusual that the perpetrator carried out such a high risk action armed with nothing more than a telescopic baton.

In such cases, he said, chances were that the perpetrator was either under the influence of drugs, alcohol or medication or very desperate for money.