Police have arrested and charged a man following an investigation into the armed robbery of a business on the Mid North Coast last month.

Strike Force Mehi 2, comprised of detectives from the Robbery and Serious Crime Squad and the Mid North Coast Local Area Command, was formed to investigate the armed robbery of a financial institution on Elbow Street, West Kempsey, on Monday 20 August 2012.

The robbery occurred about 9.40am, when three males – one of whom was armed with a knife, another with a tool – entered the business, jumped the front counter and threatened staff members.

The trio stole a large sum of cash from the business before fleeing the scene in a stolen car, which was later found burnt out in nearby farmland.

About 1am yesterday (Thursday 6 September 2012), police from the Bankstown Local Area Command arrested a 28-year-old man on an outstanding warrant.

He was taken to Bankstown Police Station where he was interviewed, and later charged, by Strike Force Mehi 2 detectives for his alleged involvement in the West Kempsey armed robbery. He was also charged in relation to the armed robbery of a supermarket in Yagoona on Friday 10 August 2012, the armed robbery of a newsagency in Padstow on Wednesday 5 September 2012 and an outstanding warrant from 2005.

The man was refused bail and will appear in Bankstown Local Court today (Friday 7 September 2012).