The courts have imprisoned two men for their parts in a string of armed robberies.

Steven Shields, 28, of no fixed abode was sentenced to seven years and three months, while Jamie Kelly, 34, of no fixed abode, received six years and five months.

The pair was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on Monday, March 19.

Both pleaded guilty to robbing a cash in transit van in Amersham on August 4, 2011, and conspiracy to commit commercial robbery, including a robbery in Walton High street.

Operation Amazake was launched by the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad to investigate a series of cash in transit robberies, a jewellery shop robbery and other related offences such as burglaries, theft of cars and number plates and laundering of the proceeds of the robberies.

The offences were linked by methodology, vehicles used in the offences, forensic, CCTV and automatic number plate recognition and led back to Kelly and Shields.

Among offences committed by Kelly and Shields was a robbery on July 7, 2011, on a G4S guard delivering to NatWest in Walton High Street.

One grabbed the cash box and the other spun him round, pushing him to the floor.

In a similar robbery the following month, in Amersham, Shields and Kelly made off with £25,000 stolen from a G4S guard.

They pleaded guilty to this in October 2011.

Detective Chief Inspector Harry Hennigan said: “I am pleased with the convictions and sentences given to these two men.

“Such was the amount of evidence gathered against them by the Flying Squad that they had no option but to plead guilty.

“We are committed to using our expertise and professionalism, often working with other force areas, to ensure we bring perpetrators to justice.”