€7m bank robbery - Lax security a threat to all of society

THE tattered reputation of Irish banks — or indeed Ireland — will not be improved by yesterday’s €7 million raid on the Bank of Ireland at College Green in Dublin.

The thieves, believed to be a violent gang of professional criminals from Dublin’s northside, had to do no more than identify just one vulnerable bank employee. Then threaten that individual’s partner and her family, thereby forcing that unfortunate employee to bring them an estimated €7m.

Is it really possible, in 2009, that such an amount of money is so easily targeted and stolen?