Paramilitaries may have been behind £20m raid

POLICE last night were refusing to rule out paramilitary involvement in Monday's daring raid on the Northern Bank in Belfast.

Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kinkaid said that while an audit was still to be carried out on the full amount taken from the Northern Bank in the city centre, an organised crime gang is believed to have made off with in the region of £20 million (€28.8m).

"We have had to hold a crime scene at the bank during the day to ensure that a professional forensic examination is carried out," Mr Kinkaid said.

"That has somewhat delayed the bank's ability to carry out an audit to give me an exact sum. But on the information that I have received to date from interviewing witnesses and people who have been present at the bank early this morning, I have been informed that the sum is quite considerable and may be in excess of £20m."

The raid on the branch at the junction of Donegall Square West and Wellington Street took place on Monday night. The gang behind it sprung into action on Sunday night, taking over a number of houses belonging to bank officials at around 10pm.

Mr Kinkaid confirmed one of the houses was in Belfast and the other in Downpatrick.

"In both houses a member of the household worked for the Northern Bank," he said.

"Following this, on Monday night a number of criminals coerced some of the employees in the Northern Bank to hand over a substantial sum of money. This happened after 6pm.

"We are appealing to anyone who was in the location of the junction of Donegall Square West and Wellington Street at that time to contact detectives at North Queen Street.

"The organised crime branch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland is carrying out this investigation. Clearly this is a significant crime. Two families have suffered great trauma.

"There are people in the community here in Northern Ireland who would be aware of details of this crime and we ask them please to contact the police with any information."

Mr Kinkaid said the investigation was still at an early stage and would not be drawn on whether republican or loyalist paramilitaries were involved.

"It is far too early to say which particular organisations are involved in this," he said.

Mr Kinkaid would not be drawn on whether the gang had exposed various flaws in the bank's security arrangements.

"It's early days in terms of our investigation. Matters to do with banks and security are a matter for the Northern Bank.

"Clearly we will be, as part of our investigation, speaking to the bank in relation to how this crime took place, whether it raises issues for that bank or other banks in relation to preventing this type of crime in the future."

He was unable to say whether Northern Irish notes were stolen but appealed to the public who noticed anyone with suspicious sums of money to contact detectives.

Mr Kinkaid said that once bank officials had assessed the exact amount stolen, detectives hoped to release more information.

Rich pickings

£20m: amount stolen.

2,000: years, how long someone working for the minimum wage would have to work to earn £20m.

2.5: hours, how long it took the gang between 6pm and 8.30pm on Monday evening to load it into a large lorry parked at the rear of the building.

20: people thought to be involved.

30m: Sterling, amount actually in the vaults.

95: separate bank branches had lodged cash over the weekend to the Northern Bank that was robbed.

Undisclosed: sum in newly printed notes in stock ready to be distributed to cash machines for the Christmas and New Year rush. This was not taken because notes are traceable.

2: members of staff and their families held hostage.

24: hours, time that families were held hostage.

One: week, since the Northern Bank, part of the National Bank of Australia group, was sold to new owners - Denmark's biggest bank, Danske.

230: number of organised crime gangs in the North.

One: billion sterling, amount organised crime is worth annually in North.

1.5m: Population of the North.