Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has issued a warning to financial institutions that if they pay ransom to gangs involved in so-called tiger robbery kidnappings they are endangering people's lives.
However, the Irish Bank Officials' Association (IBOA) has said its members' lives are already at risk. It has called for decisive action from the Tánaiste before a bank official is "injured or worse".
Speaking after three such botched attempted robberies on An Post staff in Dublin in the past week, Mr McDowell said gardaí were doing all they could to address the situation. He insisted financial institutions had a lead role to play.
In a clear reference to a recent case involving National Irish Bank (NIB), he said it was a matter of grave concern that some banks had co-operated with gangs and only alerted gardaí after paying a ransom.
"Anybody who responds to tiger kidnapping by giving in to it encourages more of it," Mr McDowell said.
The NIB in Killester, Dublin in August gave €270,000 to a gang who were holding the family of one of its workers hostage.
Mr McDowell said the only way increasing tiger robberies would be tackled was if those targeted alerted gardaí immediately "whether they've been warned not to do so by the perpetrators".
The Garda Commissioner, Noel Conroy, had assured him that gardaí had been in touch with An Post key holders to warn them gangs may try and target them in tiger kidnappings.
He called on the neighbours of financial institution key holders and other at-risk workers to be vigilant in looking out for suspicious activity. The gangs responsible for the latest attacks were "low lifes" intent on taking other people's money rather than working for a living, he said.
General secretary of the IBOA Larry Broderick said his priority was to ensure his members were not living in fear of being kidnapped. It was clear that bank staff were now regarded as "soft targets" by kidnap gangs.
He said Mr McDowell should establish a new agency comprising representatives from the Garda, Department of Justice and banking and security sector. It would monitor security developments and examine measures to enhance the security and safety of staff and their families.
"It is frontline bank staff whose lives and . . . families are being put in danger by the actions of criminals and the failure of security systems," he said.
Meanwhile, gardaí are continuing to investigate this week's three botched robberies in Dublin although no arrests had been made last night.
On Thursday, the family of a female postmistress from Glasnevin, Dublin were abandoned by the gang holding them hostage after the gang's van broke down.
On Wednesday morning a female postmistress from the North Strand post office in Dublin's north inner city escaped from a vehicle in which she was being held in Monkstown after the man guarding her injected drugs and passed out.
And on Monday a group of men attempted, but failed, to take hostage the family of a female postmistress in Ballymun.
