Off-duty cop foils attempted Qld robbery

An off-duty police officer has helped foil an alleged attempted armed robbery at a convenience store and an ice cream shop in Brisbane's north.

The officer was in the right place at the right time when the would-be robbers, one armed with a gun and the other keeping watch, demanded cash from an employee at a convenience store in Everton Park around 9.20pm on Tuesday night.

When the staff member was unable to open the cash register, the pair moved on to a nearby ice cream shop, where witnesses were told not to call police.

The two men then fled, unaware the off-duty officer had been watching the robbery attempts unfold.

He then followed them to an address in Albany Creek, where police set up a cordon, and around 11pm took two men and a woman into custody.

One of the men has been charged with attempted armed robbery and is due to appear in Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Wednesday.