GARDAÍ ARE searching for an armed gang that robbed a Group 4 Security (G4S) cash-in-transit van at a branch of the Ulster Bank in Co Dublin yesterday morning.
Three men, all of whom were armed with handguns, threatened security staff making a cash delivery to the bank at Killiney Shopping Centre on Rochestown Avenue, Killiney, at 9.50am.
No shots were fired during the robbery and there were no injuries to G4S staff. It is understood from Garda sources that the gang escaped with less than €100,000.
The raiders fled the scene in a silver VW Passat with the registration number 05 C 10170 driven by a fourth man.
The car was stolen in Donnybrook on August 5th. Two of the men wore dark balaclavas while another hid his face with a grey hooded top.
Supt Martin Fitzgerald of Dún Laoghaire Garda station described the driver of the getaway car as being in his 40s with a heavy build. He said the man's hair was "wildish" and that he may have been wearing a wig.
He appealed for witnesses to the robbery to contact the incident room at Dún Laoghaire Garda station on 01-666500 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111.
GS4 said in a statement that its key concern was for the safety and wellbeing of those directly involved in the incident.
"We continuously change our security operating models in response to the changing threat profile. This year we have introduced a number of new security measures and these are being rolled out across the business," the statement said.
It is understood that at the time of the robbery the money was not being transported in strong boxes which explode red dye on notes, rendering them useless, if a box is forced open.
Minister for Justice Dermot expressed his sympathy to the staff caught up in the raid. In a statement he said he had asked An Garda Síochána and the Private Security Authority "for a full report in relation to a number of issues arising from [the] raid".