No sunglasses if you shop in Edmonton

Edmonton police in the United States have asked people not to wear sunglasses into banks or stores to dissuade robbers.

The programme is based on similar schemes in other parts of the US and United Kingdom, said Staff Sergeant Howard Kunce.

"Ninety-five per cent of the robberies we deal with involve criminals wearing a hood and a ball cap," he said.

Having people remove their sunglasses when entering a store would make it easier to identify criminals, and hopefully deter robbers.

The Wisconsin Bankers Association reportedly had a 47% decrease in bank robberies after adopting a similar program in 2002.

The association placed posters outside all of its branches by the entrance with the words "No hats, no hoods, no sunglasses,".

While police are not asking businesses to confront customers who do not comply, they hope those that refuse to remove their sunglasses will find themselves under greater scrutiny.