MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern said he was “very concerned” about aspects of yesterday’s bank robbery and “how it was allowed to happen”.
He spoke at length during the day with the Garda Commissioner and Deputy Garda Commissioner about the incident.
“I would be less than frank if I didn’t say that there are issues of concern in relation to how this happened and how it was allowed to happen.”
Mr Ahern said he had also spoken to Bank of Ireland chief executive Ritchie Boucher and that as a result of that there would be contact between the Garda Commissioner and banking authorities about security procedures.
Labour Party justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte said the bank and the Minister for Justice should explain to the public how a criminal gang was easily able to escape with €7 million following the latest kidnapping and robbery.
Mr Rabbitte said yesterday’s incident was “particularly shocking and contemptible” as it involved violence against a young woman and a five-year-old child being held hostage.
“The result of this raid will be another €7 million into the coffers of the criminal gangs . . . ,” he said.
In his response to the robbery, the Minister for Justice said reports of €7 million being taken were “not far off the mark”.
“Criminals are going for the line of least resistance, the human connection as it were. Given the fact there is so much detailed technology available to financial institutions, the line of least resistance is the human being.”
He said gardaí would sit down with financial institutions to see if there was anything that could be learned from the incident.
