16/04/2019

Thieves Rip ATM From Wall In County Antrim Village

A group of thieves have ripped an ATM from the wall of a shop in Bushmills, County Antrim.

A business in Market Square was targeted in the early hours of this morning, Tuesday 16 April, marking the tenth cash machine to be stolen in Northern Ireland this year.

The area has been cordoned off due to the significant damage caused and is expected to remain closed for some time.

North Antrim MLA and TUV leader Jim Allister expressed his anger and disappointment at the latest theft and accused the police of "making life easy for criminals".

He said: "With barely a police officer or police vehicle available within North Antrim during the night, with such service as there is withdrawn to Coleraine, the area has been left wide open for these gangs, who are not ignorant of the opportunities lack of policing presents.

"After Ahoghill I expected targeting of ATMs, in terms of surveillance and increased patrols, by the PSNI, but once more the criminals are winning. This is not good enough. This is not just another ATM theft, but the ripping of a vital service out of the village of Bushmills."

Also commenting on the incident, local man and TUV candidate in the village, Cyril Quigg, said: "The derelict police station in our Main Street is an advert to the criminals of how easy crime has become. With a theft like this fine tuned to 3 or 4 minutes, waiting for police to come from Coleraine means the criminals are long gone. The local community is being let down badly by an over centralised policing policy. Meanwhile, the criminals are laughing all the way to their next heist."

Police have appealed to anyone with information to contact them on non-emergency line 101 quoting reference number 106 of 16/04/19.



(JG/CM)

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