‘Military precision’ used in £50m depot heist
One of the largest rewards in British criminal history was offered to help catch the “organised gangsters” responsible for Britain’s biggest ever robbery.
A 100-strong team is engaged in the hunt for the gang of at least six armed robbers who stole up to £50m from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.
The security firm and its insurers yesterday announced a reward of up to £2m (€2.94m) for information leading to the recovery of the money, taken in an audacious raid yesterday.
Detectives are investigating whether the gang had “inside” help.
They held the depot’s manager, Colin Dixon, 51, at gunpoint and took his wife Lynn, 45, and eight-year-old son Craig hostage during what police described as a “terrifying” six-hour ordeal.
Two of the gang had posed as police officers, in a dark Volvo fitted with blue flashing lights, to kidnap Mr Dixon, while others snatched his wife and son from the family home in Herne Bay.
They were taken to a remote farm house in west Kent, where the gang threatened to shoot them unless Mr Dixon complied with their demands.
They drove them to the depot, forced Mr Dixon to let them in and tied him and his family up, along with 14 other members of staff.
The robbers were caught on CCTV as they loaded the huge haul of new and used bank notes into the back of a grubby white Renault lorry and then drove off.
A massive hunt was under way tonight for the lorry and two other vehicles used by the gang.
Officers are also looking for Mr Dixon’s Nissan Almera, which was left abandoned at the roadside, but which is now missing.
An all ports alert has been issued and Kent Police are working with the National Crime Squad and National Criminal Intelligence Service to catch the robbers before they manage to flee and dispose of the cash.
