Threat to revoke security licenses
Speaking in the wake of yesterday's €2.5 million cash transit van robbery, Mr McDowell said he would use an emergency meeting with security industry chiefs to convey the Government's determination to improve procedures so that such robberies can not happen.
Mr McDowell said he believed the driver of the Brinks Allied vehicle had gone into the Maxol station at Artane Roundabout when an armed raider overpowered his passenger and the cash was later transferred to a van and jeep at a nearby sports centre.
"The indications are that the vehicle, which had a large sum of money in it, went into a service station for a purpose which is nothing to do with the delivery or receipt of money.
"One of the staff got out of the vehicle at that point and I understand was purchasing coffee. The raid took place at that point. That is just unacceptable in this day and age."
Mr McDowell said there cannot be any more slipshod approaches to these matters.
SIPTU said it had been trying to meet Mr McDowell since January 13 over its concerns at the spate of attacks on cash vehicles.
Security services branch secretary Kevin McMahon said radio firms within the security industry wanted higher standards and better training for employees.
He claimed that a planned garda escort was not at the Brinks Allied base in Clonshaugh when the vehicle left this morning.
"A garda escort was detailed for this particular transaction [but] it wasn't at the base when the cash was taken away," Mr McMahon said.
Gardaí rejected claims that there was a garda escort at that time and said it was due to meet the van in the city centre.
The Labour Party said the security industry had been left unregulated for too long and the minister needed to agree a strategy with them and banking institutions to prevent future robberies.
Justice spokesman Joe Costello said that Mr McDowell must also take responsibility and ensure gardaí have the resources to fight armed gangs.
"Certainly with all the technological advances that have been made in recent decades it should be possible for the security industry to put in place measures that can stop criminals walking off with millions of euro with such ease.
"Mr McDowell has to take responsibility for the fact that the security industry was left unregulated as it took four years for his Department to put the Security Services Bill through the Oireachtas.
"As a result of this, the Chief Executive of the new Private Security Authority was only appointed two months ago.
"There is now an urgent necessity for the minister, the Gardaí and the Security Services Authority to sit down with the financial institutions and the security companies to ensure that all necessary measures are put in place to prevent such robberies in the future.
"Minister McDowell needs to state exactly what he intends to do to combat this resurgence in armed robberies and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice," said Mr Costello.
Yesterday's raid took place at the Artane roundabout at around 7.30am. The Brinks Allied van was parked at a Maxol garage at Skelly's Lane when it was approached by an armed man.
Gardaí have appealed for information from witnesses in the area.
: Security van leaves Brinks Allied Depot in Clonshaugh, north Dublin, with a multi-million cash delivery for outside Dublin. It travels down Kilmore Road, towards Skelly's Lane roundabout in Artane.
: Security van pulls into Maxol Station on Skelly's Lane. The driver of the van gets out and buys takeaway coffees for himself and his two colleagues.
: As he walks back, a loan gunman pounces on him, puts a gun in his face and orders him back to the van.
The gunman threatens him and his colleague in the front seat of the van and tells them to drive to the sports ground in nearby Killester.
: Security van parks in the Killester Sports Ground, near the Howth Road, which is the main thoroughfare out of the city.
* There, they are met by at least two other masked gang members travelling in a white transit van and blue 4X4 with bullbars.
* The third security employee in the back of the van is ordered to hand out the cash, thought to amount to between €2.4m and €2.7m.
* The gang escapes in the two vehicles. The white transit van has a false registration plate 97 O **** (97 Offaly + four digits).
: Security workers raise the alarm. Garda patrol cars rush to the scene.
: A masked and armed gang-of-four robbed about €2.1m from a Securicor van in the Strawberry Beds area of west Dublin.
The gang had broken into the house of the security van driver and his family the night before and held them hostage. They ordered driver Paul Richardson to report to work as normal on Monday morning, tell his colleagues what was happening and drive the van to the rendezvous point at Strawberry Beds.
: Three armed men raided a Securicor van in Arklow, Co Wicklow, and got away with €100,000. Two security staff got out of the van to deliver money to an ATM machine at Tesco in a shopping centre on Wexford Road.
A security guard was held in a neck-lock and threatened while a shot was discharged into the ground in front of him.
: A security guard pleaded for his life before being shot in the leg by a raider in Clane, Co Kildare.
The Securicor van was making a delivery to the Ulster Bank branch in the town, when the raid took place.
: Two men raided a security van as it was about to make a cash delivery to a premises in Ashbourne, Co Meath.
: Armed raiders fired three shots during a hold-up of a security van in the County Meath seaside town of Bettystown.
Up to €1m was taken from Brink Allied security staff who were delivering cash to ATM machines.
: Robbers got away with €80,000 and €140,000 in two separate raids in Drogheda, Co Louth and Rosslare, Co Wexford.
: Raiders stole €500,000 from Belfield, Co Dublin, and €200,000 from Swords, Co Dublin, in two separate heists.
: Two armed robbers, wearing overalls and balaclavas, snatched €217,000 from Securicor staff making a delivery to an ATM machine at a SuperValu premises in the Palmerstown shopping centre in Dublin.
