The National Irish Bank should have immediately alerted gardaí to a kidnap and robbery in progress at one of its north Dublin branches, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said today.

Bank staff need extra security measures to be introduced to protect them from gangs who regard them as soft targets, according to Larry Broderick, the general secretary of the Irish Bank Officials’ Association.

Gardaí were today hunting a short man in his 50s as part of their investigation into a well-planned “tiger” bank robbery in north Dublin.