Petrol bomb found in ATM rubble
Thieves have used a digger to steal a cash machine from a filling station in Templepatrick, in the 18th smash and grab incident in recent months.
Friday, 11 December 2009
The robbers struck shortly before 3am on Friday in Templepatrick, Co Antrim, on a busy route between the city and the main international airport.
During forensic follow-up examination a suspected unexploded petrol bomb was discovered in the rubble.
The stolen red digger, which had a telescopic arm, was abandoned at the scene.
The raiders made off along the Lylehill Road.
The side of the Spar shop was ripped out. Residents will now have to use neighbouring towns to obtain cash and holidaymakers heading to the airport will not be able to avail.
Business representatives said the gangs were becoming bolder.
Glyn Roberts, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association, warned the whole filling station could have been burned to the ground.
"It seems that the criminal gangs behind these robberies can strike at will in any of our town and villages in Northern Ireland," he said.
"The criminals who steal these ATM machines are not just stealing from small businesses, they are stealing from the whole community who, in rural areas, rely on these machines to withdraw benefits, salaries and pensions."
UUP MLA Danny Kinahan told UTV more needed to be done to catch the thieves.
"We've got to get the banks to think how they can get their tills sorted out so that money is stained and can't be used. We have to try and get the police more resources so they can react quicker and block off the roads and catch the diggers. We need the public to get involved to try and keep an eye on where diggers are," Mr Kinahan said.
A local MP told UTV those behind these attacks seem to have specialist knowledge.
"There seems to be a trend where this money has just been topped up and a number of incidents are just happening the night after the topping-up of these machines", DUP MP William McCrea said.
"Either a pattern has been set or there is information that has been relayed to people. We must find a way to catch these persons."
Graham Mott, spokesman for ATM network Link, said they had offered a reward of up to £25,000 for evidence leading to the capture of gangs behind the attacks.
He said there were several ways of making the machines more secure including using bollards, improving the anchoring of the machine in the wall, CCTV and ink dye.
"Evidence from the past would suggest that we have got a group of people involved in this," he said.
Many of the earlier digger thefts have been in the Fermanagh border region with the Irish Republic.
© UTV News