Bank staff and their families living in fear, garda chief told

GARDA Commissioner Noel Conroy was told yesterday that bank staff and their families were living in fear because they were seen as “soft targets” for criminal gangs.

The Irish Bank Officials Association (IBOA) met the garda chief as new legislation was published allowing suspects in tiger kidnappings to be held for up to seven days. The meeting with the IBOA delegation centred on the safety of workers and a “culture of fear” that now prevails among bank employees.

Speaking after the meeting, IBOA general secretary Larry Broderick said: “It provided us with an opportunity to brief the Commissioner in detail on staff concerns and fears over recent events and highlight directly to the Commissioner what staff and their families are saying to us.