Town centre bank raided

POLICE arrested two men and recovered money stolen during a bank raid in the town centre on Tuesday.

Three masked men entered the Credit Union on Church Place just before 5pm.

They jumped over the counter and demanded money from staff before making off with cash and travellers' cheques.

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The thieves made their getaway in a red Honda Accord saloon with Dublin number plates.

They drove down Edward Street and the car was later found dumped in the Shankill estate. The men were described as speaking with Irish accents.

On Wednesday morning the Credit Union was closed. A sign (below) declared it was closed 'due to unforseen circumstances' and would reopen today (Thursday) at 10.30am.

Speaking to the 'MAIL' yesterday morning (Wednesday), Chief Inspector Jason Murphy said the investigation had progressed rapidly with arrests made.

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He said: "Gardai stopped a train in the south last night and two men were searched and found to have stolen cash and travellers cheques.

"Officers acted quickly and there has been positive progress, the investigation is ongoing."

Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen the car any time on Tuesday or who may have seen the robbers to contact them.

They would also like to hear about anyone trying to cash travellers cheques under suspicious circumstances. Police can be contacted on 0845 600 8000. Alternatively information may be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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A spokeswoman for the Irish League of Credit Unions said security measures were under review and staff ‘appropriately cared for’ following the raid.

She said: “Staff and directors are trained in crime prevention, with policies and procedures in place to protect themselves and members from criminals.

“Members from the Irish League of Credit Unions will be meeting with personnel from Lurgan Credit Union to ensure all appropriate security measures are in place.

“We would like to take this opportunity to assure members that their deposits have not been affected in any way by this incident.”

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