Gardai in Co Donegal are on high-alert after the theft and attempted thefts of diggers in recent days.
Officers fear the robberies are being carried out by a gang who could use them to steal ATMs from the county.
It follows the recent spate of ATM thefts across the North and in the border counties.
AN attempt was made to steal a digger from a yard at Pearse Road in Letterkenny over the weekend.
The lock was broken and a windscreen smashed between 5pm on Saturday and 7.30am on Monday morning.
It follows the theft of a digger from a Donegal County Council yard in St Johnston recently.
The Hitachi 26U digger was loaded onto a trailer in the yard and driven away across the border towards Derry.
The €38,000 digger, which was rented from Watson Hire in Letterkenny, has still not been located.
Garda Sgt Eunan Walsh appealed to members of the public to be vigilant.
“Obviously we have to keep an open mind on these robberies or attempted robberies because of the recent spate of thefts of ATMs.
“The latest attempt to steal a digger happened in Letterkenny over the weekend when a machine parked beside the Letterkenny Community Centre was interfered with.
“We’re not sure if this is in any way connected with these ATM thefts but we have to consider all options,” he said.
He appealed to members of the public who notice specific behaviour late at night to contact Gardai.
“If someone is out late at night and they spot a digger being towed at three of four o’clock in the morning then we would ask them to contact us.
“This would be unusual. It might not be anything but we will investigate it and it is better to be safe than sorry,” he said.
Local Gardai are also liaising with bank employees in relation to best practise around ATMs.
Irish retailers in border counties have told Retail Excellence, Ireland’s largest retail representation body, that they are bracing themselves for more in the recent spate of ATM thefts.
David Fitzsimons, CEO of Retail Excellence, conveyed the anger of member retailers.
“It seems that we are hearing of another ATM theft almost on a daily basis at this stage, of another business targeted and destroyed, and vital services taken away on which many local people rely. These criminals are physically gouging out huge holes in banks and filling stations, but they’re also tearing apart dependent businesses and retailers.
“We welcome the comments last night from Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan that all resources will be provided to the Gardaí. Retailers in border communities want assurance that everything is being done to co-operate with PSNI to stop this scourge on already hard-pressed towns and villages.
“This is emphatically not a victimless crime. Such criminal activities bring people face-to-face with organised crime or terrorism. These are clearly dangerous people that don’t care about property damage or the effect that their activities have on people. The danger is that the digger will be set alight at a filling station, putting neighbouring homes and businesses at peril.
“Without doubt, this spate of robberies puts the viability of retail at risk at a particularly difficult time. The livelihoods of the business owners who have worked for years to build up their businesses is jeopardised. A further concern is that spiralling insurance costs could ultimately put them out of business.
“We’re talking about an estimated €70,000 taken from one ATM robbery, the impact of which is to take money out of consumers’ wallets. You can be sure that there’ll be little shopping done the following day in the local town, spend on discretionary items will be down, and coffee shops will be quiet.
“These are small, rural family-owned retailers that are struggling and have taken years to build up their businesses. With all the best security in the world, there’s little they can do to defend themselves from the sort of destruction that we’ve seen from CCTV footage. The destruction done to the fabric of the buildings will mean their businesses are put out of action for months. Then do they take the risk and cost of replacing the ATM in future?
“On behalf of our members in retail, we’re asking that any information is passed on to police on both sides of the border. We also ask for those involved in construction and retail to be extra vigilant.
“Act like your premises is being watched and double your efforts to lock up diggers, trailers and jeeps. We need to make sure it’s as difficult as possible for thieves to take these vehicles for the purposes of crime.”
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