Menu
18/01/2010
Border ATM Robbery Condemned
Gangsters have returned to their original area of operation with the thieves using a digger to steal a bank automated teller machine (ATM) from a bank along the poorly policed border area.
Taking advantage of apparent 'slow responses' from the PSNI who are understandably wary of 999 calls to the border area where republican dissidents have their heartland, they hit an ATM in Crossmaglen on Saturday.
The police said that it happened at about 6am and was the 13th such incident where an entire cash machine – containing as much as £140,000 – was literally ripped from the wall.
Such incidents began along the Irish border around a year ago, with the criminals more recently targeting ATMs in suburban areas, such as Templepatrick, Co Antrim before Christmas.
In south Armagh, they once again used a digger to pull a cash machine from the wall - this time at the Bank of Ireland at The Square.
The thieves burned the digger as well as a tractor and trailer used to transport it to the bank, and left the vehicles to block any belated PSNI response.
SDLP councillor Geraldine Donnelly said on Sunday that it appeared the vehicles were used to block access from the nearby police station in the south Armagh village.
The tractor used in the robbery was abandoned near the police station
"I'd imagine they were blocking the police from attempting to come to the scene - it was a way of making sure they had a clear run."
She also said the people and businesses of Crossmaglen area are facing huge inconvenience following the robbery: "The nearest on-street ATM available at all hours is now in Newry and that's a 32-mile round trip. It is going to have a huge negative impact on businesses here, not to mention the sheer inconvenience for ordinary residents."
A Sinn Féin councillor, Terry Hearty has also been commenting and has questioned the police's response.
"People have been talking about incompetence, that they are not interested," he said.
Police said they were committed to ending ATM robberies and were following a number of lines of inquiry.
Police believe the digger and tractor were stolen on Thursday night in Ardee, Co Louth.
Detectives in Newry have appealed for anyone who saw the green John Deere tractor or orange Fiat Hitachi track digger to contact them.
A reward of up to £25,000 has been offered for anyone who can help catch the criminals targeting cash machines in Northern Ireland. The money has been offered by Link, the operator of the UK's cash machine network.
See: ATM Robbers Hunted
(BMcC/GK)
Taking advantage of apparent 'slow responses' from the PSNI who are understandably wary of 999 calls to the border area where republican dissidents have their heartland, they hit an ATM in Crossmaglen on Saturday.
The police said that it happened at about 6am and was the 13th such incident where an entire cash machine – containing as much as £140,000 – was literally ripped from the wall.
Such incidents began along the Irish border around a year ago, with the criminals more recently targeting ATMs in suburban areas, such as Templepatrick, Co Antrim before Christmas.
In south Armagh, they once again used a digger to pull a cash machine from the wall - this time at the Bank of Ireland at The Square.
The thieves burned the digger as well as a tractor and trailer used to transport it to the bank, and left the vehicles to block any belated PSNI response.
SDLP councillor Geraldine Donnelly said on Sunday that it appeared the vehicles were used to block access from the nearby police station in the south Armagh village.
The tractor used in the robbery was abandoned near the police station
"I'd imagine they were blocking the police from attempting to come to the scene - it was a way of making sure they had a clear run."
She also said the people and businesses of Crossmaglen area are facing huge inconvenience following the robbery: "The nearest on-street ATM available at all hours is now in Newry and that's a 32-mile round trip. It is going to have a huge negative impact on businesses here, not to mention the sheer inconvenience for ordinary residents."
A Sinn Féin councillor, Terry Hearty has also been commenting and has questioned the police's response.
"People have been talking about incompetence, that they are not interested," he said.
Police said they were committed to ending ATM robberies and were following a number of lines of inquiry.
Police believe the digger and tractor were stolen on Thursday night in Ardee, Co Louth.
Detectives in Newry have appealed for anyone who saw the green John Deere tractor or orange Fiat Hitachi track digger to contact them.
A reward of up to £25,000 has been offered for anyone who can help catch the criminals targeting cash machines in Northern Ireland. The money has been offered by Link, the operator of the UK's cash machine network.
See: ATM Robbers Hunted
(BMcC/GK)
Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
27 July 2009
ATM Digger Attack Foiled
Just days after an apparently successful raid in Co Wexford, a JCB mechanical digger machine was last night used in an failed robbery attempt in Co Meath. The thieves again used the mechanical digger in what turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt to remove a bank automated teller machine (ATM) from a wall outside a bank early this morning.
ATM Digger Attack Foiled
Just days after an apparently successful raid in Co Wexford, a JCB mechanical digger machine was last night used in an failed robbery attempt in Co Meath. The thieves again used the mechanical digger in what turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt to remove a bank automated teller machine (ATM) from a wall outside a bank early this morning.
29 January 2014
ATM Recovered After Digger Used To Pull It Out Of A Wall
Gardaí in Co Sligo have recovered an ATM machine that was ripped from the wall of Bank of Ireland on Wednesday morning. A digger was used to break a hole in the wall, before pulling the machine free, at around 05:00am in Tubbercurry. The machine was then loaded onto a trailer and driven away.
ATM Recovered After Digger Used To Pull It Out Of A Wall
Gardaí in Co Sligo have recovered an ATM machine that was ripped from the wall of Bank of Ireland on Wednesday morning. A digger was used to break a hole in the wall, before pulling the machine free, at around 05:00am in Tubbercurry. The machine was then loaded onto a trailer and driven away.
24 September 2008
Two Held Over Cash Van Robbery
Gardaí have arrested two suspects in connection with an armed raid on a cash-in-transit van on Tuesday. A member of the Group 4 Securicor staff was injured during the raid in which two shots were fired, and over €18,000 was stolen. The incident took place outside the Ulster Bank branch near the Coachman's Inn pub on the Old Swords Road.
Two Held Over Cash Van Robbery
Gardaí have arrested two suspects in connection with an armed raid on a cash-in-transit van on Tuesday. A member of the Group 4 Securicor staff was injured during the raid in which two shots were fired, and over €18,000 was stolen. The incident took place outside the Ulster Bank branch near the Coachman's Inn pub on the Old Swords Road.
10 August 2009
Digger Robbers Strike Again
Robbers who use construction site mechanical diggers have struck again. The thieves caused substantial damage to a post office in Co Down early this morning by driving a digger into the rear of the building.
Digger Robbers Strike Again
Robbers who use construction site mechanical diggers have struck again. The thieves caused substantial damage to a post office in Co Down early this morning by driving a digger into the rear of the building.
24 July 2009
Another ATM Ripped From Wall By Robbers
Gardaí are searching for a gang following the 'excavation' and theft of an ATM in Co Wexford early this morning. The filling station facility was attacked with a mechanical digger which was used to remove the cash machine. It happened at the Mace filling station at Bellfield in Enniscorthy at around 5am.
Another ATM Ripped From Wall By Robbers
Gardaí are searching for a gang following the 'excavation' and theft of an ATM in Co Wexford early this morning. The filling station facility was attacked with a mechanical digger which was used to remove the cash machine. It happened at the Mace filling station at Bellfield in Enniscorthy at around 5am.
-
Ireland WeatherToday:Gale, coastal severe gale, northwest winds ease from late afternoon. Scattered showers will fall as snow over the hills at first, becoming isolated from mid-afternoon. Maximum temperature 7 °C.Tonight:Showers, scattered in the evening, will clear by midnight leaving the night dry with clear spells. Cloud will spread east towards morning. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
