CCTV pictures of a man who held a young girl at gunpoint as he robbed a sweet shop in south Belfast have been released.
Police said the man, aged in his teens, was armed with what appeared to be a handgun.
He entered the shop close to the junction of Ravenhill Road and Ormeau Road shortly before 3pm on Monday.
He told the owner of the shop, Tracey O'Reilly, to hand over the contents of a cash register while pointing the gun at her 10-year-old niece.
"She knew she was definitely in danger. There was a gun near her face so she just stood there and didn't do anything," the shop owner told UTV.
"To do that in front of kids or anybody especially coming up to Christmas... It's people's livelihoods as well. It's just not on," she added.
A boy aged four was also present in the shop.
Police said the man made his escape on foot with a sum of cash and was last seen on the Ormeau Road.
He is described as around 5'6 in height, of thin build and with pale complexion.
He had short, light hair, a strong Belfast accent and wore a white baseball cap, white zip-up tracksuit top and blue jeans.
Police are investigating two other robberies on the Saintfield Road on Monday, which they believe could be linked to the sweet shop incident.
At around 3.25pm, a man entered a news agents in the area carrying a suspected firearm, placed a rucksack on the counter and demanded cash and cigarettes.
Shop assistant Maria Black who was working at the time told UTV she didn't realise what was happening until the robber pulled out the gun.
"He just pointed the gun, but he just said don't press any emergency alarms or anything and nobody will get hurt, he wasn't aggressive or anything. He was quite calm," she said.
Three children were in the shop at the time.
"I don't even think they realised what was going on, he just told them to stay where they were and not to move and no-one would be hurt," she added.
Several hours later a man carrying a suspected firearm entered a garage, opened a rucksack and demanded cash and cigarettes.
Jim Jamesion who owns the garage said incidents like this put a lot of pressure on part-time staff.
"They are mostly at school or at university so they are always going to be on the look-out and be scared, looking at everyone coming into the shop not knowing what is coming next," he said.
Detectives have appealed for anyone with information about the incidents to come forward.
© UTV News