Police have praised the callers who alerted them to a digger being used to remove an ATM from a service station at Nutt’s Corner, which led to two arrests.
Two men, aged 26 and 31, were detained and remain in custody for questioning on suspicion of theft and a number of other offences.
Detective Superintendent Rachel Shields said at around 3.30am police received reports from a number of vigilant members of the public that a digger was being used to remove an ATM from the premises on the Tully Road.
“We immediately directed a significant number of resources to the area.
“It was as a result of this information from the public that we were able to make these arrests and also recover the stolen ATM. I would like to thank the local people and also take this opportunity to renew our appeal for any suspicious activity noticed around ATMs or building sites to be reported to police on 999,” she said.
She is asking anyone who owns or uses heavy plant machinery to secure and immobilise them.
“If criminals cannot steal diggers, they cannot tear out ATMs. This will also mean that these expensive pieces of machinery are not destroyed or burnt out,” she said.
The Detective Superintendent said she wanted to thank those living and working in the Tully Road and Nutt’s Corner area as well as commuters for their patience.
“This morning’s arrests demonstrate how the community and police can successfully work together to tackle crime. However, this does not mean we will be complacent as we recognise there are a number of gangs carrying out these attacks on ATMs and the threat of more thefts is very real,” she said.
“Every single one of these attacks impacts the community significantly – denying access to money and on many occasions causing inconvenience as the shop or filling station is forced to close for repair.
“We will continue to do all we can to catch those responsible. Tonight again we will have local police patrolling areas which could be vulnerable to an attack and detectives remain dedicated to investigating the thefts that have taken place. I assure you this remains a key priority for police,” she added.
Anyone with information that could help us identify and apprehend those responsible can contact the dedicated team on 101 or alternatively information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.