A DARING robbery was staged on the pavement of busy Bridge Street yesterday in broad daylight.

Police are still hunting for a suspect who snatched a cash box from the grasp of a security guard as he entered Barclays Bank in Pinner at 2.05pm.

After pushing the guard and taking the box, which is thought to have contained about £25,000 in cash, the suspect ran towards Chapel Lane before entering a black Mercedes car driven by a second suspect.

The pair drove off down Chapel Lane towards West End Lane and despite a mass search by police they have not yet been traced. Detectives from the Flying Squad based at Finchley have been drafted in to investigate the crime.

One woman who works at a nearby estate agents told the Observer: "I just happened to be standing in the window as I was about to go out, when a man ran past in a balaclava and I heard him shout 'oi'. I called the police as soon as I saw him because you don't often see a man running in a balaclava.

"Only about five seconds later he ran back past carrying the cash box. He was black and quite stocky, about average height. There was a hoard of people surrounding the security guard to check he was okay.

"It's a shame I was not two seconds quicker as I could have tripped him up!"

There had been suggestions that the suspect was carrying a gun, but police said they received no reports of him carrying such a weapon. The security guard was not injured.

Police say they are now considering additional security measures to protect other banks and shops in the centre of Pinner to stop a similar incident happening in future. Plain clothes officers are expected to begin regular patrols.

Any witnesses to Tuesday's robbery or anyone with information should call the Flying Squad on 0208 358 1751 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.