Short man hunted after 'tiger' bank robbery

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.

Four armed and masked raiders held a National Irish Bank employee’s family hostage overnight while he was forced to deliver a large amount of money from his Killester workplace.

Detectives are examining at least four crime scenes but have pieced together a description of one raider from interviews with the family.

Head of the investigation, Chief Supt Peter Maguire gave details of one gang member who may have been holding some members of the family at gunpoint on open ground in the Balgriffin area in the early hours of Tuesday.

He said one of the men was in his 50s, dressed in black, 5’4” or 5’5” tall, and wearing a blonde false hairpiece and a face mask.

A man and three women were involved in the “tiger” kidnap – so-called because the raiders had to stalk their prey to study their movements before striking.

Mr Maguire said: “Thankfully, the family sustained themselves well during this horrific ordeal and they were available for us very quickly for interviewing. They have given us a full description of the events as they unfolded.”

He refused to disclose the amount of cash stolen.

“There are certain pieces of information that we feel are critical to an investigation and certainly the amount of money taken in robberies is something we don’t reveal for investigative purposes. Secondly, the property attacked is private and if the people concerned want to reveal the information it is up to them and not the Garda Siochana.”

The family’s ordeal began at around 9.45pm on Monday night when four men forcibly entered the 23-year-old employee’s house at Seacliff Avenue, Baldoyle, and imprisoned his mother and two sisters aged 16 and 18.

Two family members were kept imprisoned in the house until after 11am yesterday morning, while the other two were taken to open ground off the Balgriffin Road where they were held at gunpoint overnight.

The man was then driven to the NIB branch on Howth Road, Killester, and ordered to deliver a substantial amount of cash to a waiting car at Stiles Avenue in Clontarf.

Meanwhile, bank officials today called for an urgent meeting with the Justice Minister to address staff concerns in the wake of the latest robbery.

Irish Bank Officials Association general secretary Larry Broderick said: “As a trade union, it is our main priority to ensure staff can carry out their work duties in a safe and secure environment and not living in fear for their safety and that of their families.

“It is clear that there is a growing trend whereby bank staff are regarded as particularly vulnerable and viewed as a ‘soft target’ by criminal gangs.”

Mr Broderick added that many staff who become the victims in such robberies are unable to continue working out of fear for their safety.

“The first priority should not be concerns over the amount stolen but for the safety of staff, their families and the general public,” he added.

The IBOA will ask the minister to set up a joint working group involving the gardaí, the Justice Department, the banking and security industry and staff representatives to monitor developments in the general area of security within the financial services sector.

“IBOA believes this body should have as its main remit an examination of practical measures that will enhance the security and safety of staff and their families,” Mr Broderick added.