Police are once again making an appeal this weekend for people to remain vigilant to unusual activity, following the spate of ATM thefts which have occurred across the province.
They say the livelihoods of businesses are being jeopardised and access to cash is being cut off, especially for those in rural areas. And police also point out that farmers and construction firms are suffering the loss of expensive equipment and machinery, a loss from which some will struggle to recover.
Nine incidents have occurred to date.
Detective Chief Inspector David Henderson said: “As the weekend approaches, I want to reiterate our appeal to people across Northern Ireland to remain vigilant and alert to any activity that is unusual, out of the ordinary or suspicious, especially the movement of plant machinery late at night or early in the morning. The key to stopping these crimes and getting ahead of the criminals is you, the public.”
He said recent attacks on s are impacting communities on multiple levels.
“The livelihoods of our local businesses are being jeopardised by the thefts and they are forced to face the additional costs involved in repairing their premises. The populations served by the s, which are often rural, are being denied access to cash facilities. Farmers and construction firms are suffering the loss of expensive equipment and machinery, a loss from which some will struggle to recover,” he added.
He said police are actively patrolling vulnerable and high risk locations, but emphasised that it is not possible for officers to be everywhere at once and to predict where these criminal may target next.
“We need communities to help and be our eyes and ears,” said Detective Chief Inspector David Henderson.
“If you see activity overnight in or around building sites, report it immediately. Owners of plant machinery, please secure and lock up your equipment, and please consider installing immobilisers – at least one digger theft has recently been prevented because of one. Business owners, please review your security. Consider installing alarm-linked motion sensor cameras if you don’t already have them,” he added.
“If you know who is responsible for these crimes, please search your conscience and contact us. These criminals are trying to rip the heart out of local communities and we need you to help us stop them. If you know anything at all, please pick up the phone and call us on the non-emergency number 101 or anonymously on Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. In an emergency or if you suspect a crime is in progress, dial 999,” he added.
