2009 Bank of Ireland robbery
Encyclopedia
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
of cash from the College Green
College Green
College Green is a three-sided "square" in the centre of Dublin. On its northern side is a building known today as the Bank of Ireland which until 1800 was Ireland's Parliament House. To its east stands Trinity College Dublin, the only constituent college of the University of Dublin. To its south...
cash centre of the Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, on 27 February 2009. It was the largest bank robbery
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
in the Republic of Ireland's history. Criminals engaged in the tiger kidnapping
Tiger kidnapping
A tiger kidnapping or tiger robbery is a crime in which an abduction forms part of a robbery, murder, or any other crime. A person of importance to the victim is held hostage as collateral until the victim has met the criminal's demands.-Etymology:...
of a junior bank employee, 24-year-old Shane Travers, and forced him to remove €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
7.6 million (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
9 million) in cash from the bank as his girlfriend and two others were held hostage.
Ireland's Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern
Dermot Ahern
Dermot Christopher Ahern is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Louth constituency from 1987 to 2011...
, criticised the bank for its failure to follow what he termed "established protocols" during the robbery, as the Irish police force, the Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
, was not informed of the incident until the money had been removed from the bank. A manhunt
Manhunt (law enforcement)
In law enforcement, a manhunt is a search for a dangerous fugitive involving the use of all available police units and technology and sometimes help from the public....
is under way for the perpetrators, with seven people being arrested and €1.8 million of the stolen cash located, scattered across Dublin, on 28 February.
Robbery
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
based at Clontarf
Clontarf, Dublin
Clontarf is a coastal suburb on the northside of Dublin, in Ireland. It is most famous for giving the name to the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, in which Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, defeated the Vikings of Dublin and their allies, the Irish of Leinster. This battle, which extended to districts...
, was alone watching television at the home of his girlfriend near Kilteel
Kilteel
Kilteel is a small village in County Kildare, Ireland. It is located south of Naas at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains. Being 800 feet above sea level it holds the title of Kildare's highest village...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
. The woman and her mother were out shopping together. When they arrived home with the five-year-old nephew of Travers, six heavily built masked men, dressed in black and carrying handguns, jumped from the bushes.
The family was held overnight by the armed gang, during which time their mobile phones were confiscated and Travers' girlfriend was hit across the back of her head with a vase
Vase
The vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. It can be made from a number of materials including ceramics and glass. The vase is often decorated and thus used to extend the beauty of its contents....
by one of the men. As dawn was arriving, the gang ordered all but Travers to enter their dark Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
family car. They were then bound together and driven to Ashbourne
Ashbourne, County Meath
Ashbourne, historically called Killeglan or Kildeglan , is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is about 20 km north of Dublin city centre and is bypassed by the M2 motorway.-History:...
, County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
The bank employee was given a mobile phone, ordered to collect €20, €50, €100 and €200 bank notes from his workplace, and supplied with a photograph of the rest of the family at gunpoint in order to convince his colleagues that their lives were under threat. Travers drove to Dublin in his red Toyota Celica
Toyota Celica
The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....
car, acquired the cash through the assistance of colleagues who viewed the photo, and carried the money out of the building in four laundry bags. He took it to Clontarf Road railway station
Clontarf Road railway station
Clontarf Road railway station is a railway station in Dublin, Ireland, on the DART commuter rail line.-Location:It is located at the south-western end of Clontarf Road on Dublin's Northside, on the border between Clontarf and Fairview, and serves people living and working in those areas, as well...
, whereupon he surrendered the cash and his sports car to a waiting gang member.
Travers then entered a garda station, the first point at which gardaí
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
were notified that the robbery had taken place. One hour after this, the other family members succeeded in freeing themselves and walked to a nearby garda station. Travers' girlfriend required immediate medical treatment for a head wound she had received during a struggle with her captors, and the family were reported to be "traumatised" by their ordeal. Travers's car was later found burned out in an apartment block near Tolka House Pub in Glasnevin
Glasnevin
Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...
.
Reaction
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Dermot AhernDermot Ahern
Dermot Christopher Ahern is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Louth constituency from 1987 to 2011...
said "proper procedures" were not followed during the course of the robbery, saying that gardaí should have been contacted before the money had left the bank. He also questioned how such a large sum of money could be taken as a result of one man being targeted. He has remarked, “Criminals are going for the line of least resistance, the human connection as it were. Given the fact there is so much detailed technology available to financial institutions, the line of least resistance is the human being.”
The bank's chief executive, Richie Boucher
Richie Boucher
Richie Boucher, aged 51 , is the current Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Ireland, Ireland's largest bank. He took over from Brian Goggin on 25 February 2009 who resigned following the injection of Irish Government funds and the guarantee of deposits.-Career and Education:Richie Boucher was...
, appointed just two days earlier, immediately wrote to all his staff to remind them that protocol should be followed in the event of future robberies, saying "Our priority is always for the safety and well-being of all staff. I am sure this incident will raise concerns. Our best defence is to follow tried and tested procedures. I would ask everybody to remind themselves of these procedures, which are there to protect you, your families and the bank."
The attack caused Charlie Flanagan
Charles Flanagan
Charles "Charlie" Flanagan is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Laois–Offaly constituency....
, a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
, to remark that “tiger kidnappings are taking place in Ireland ... at a rate of almost one per week.”
Arrests
€1.8 million of the stolen cash was recovered and seven people were arrested by gardaí in a number of incidents on 28 February. A house in PhibsboroPhibsboro
Phibsborough , often formerly shortened to Phibsboro and later Phibsboro , is a district of Dublin in Ireland.-Location:Phibsboro' is located in the Dublin 7 postal district on the Northside of the city. The area is very close to the city centre, about two kilometres from the River Liffey which...
was sealed off and ten more houses were searched. A total of five cars and one van were seized by gardaí. One of the men was arrested following a chase along the M50
M50 motorway (Ireland)
The M50 motorway is a motorway in Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the north-eastern, northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. The northern end of the route is located at the entrance to the Dublin Port Tunnel. Anti-clockwise it heads northwest through the tunnel...
near the Navan
Navan
-People:Navan was the childhood home of Pierce Brosnan, who appeared in the television series Remington Steele and was the fifth film actor to play James Bond. TV personality Hector Ó hEochagáin, and comedians Dylan Moran and Tommy Tiernan also hail from Navan....
road, with two bales of packed cash being discovered in his car. Four other men were arrested in a car in Monk Place and in Great Western Square, Phibsboro, and two more were seized in a house on Great Western Villas, Phibsboro. Cash was also found in a car in Phibsboro.
The six men and one woman are believed to be members of a well-known gang from Dublin's north inner city and have connections to a major Dublin gangland figure. On 2 March, those arrested appeared before the High Court to challenge the lawfulness of their detention, viewing the warrants issued by the District Court the day before as invalid. That day, two of those arrested were released.
An unidentified bank employee was arrested on 28 January 2010 based on suspicion that the robbery had been an inside job.
Context
The robbery followed a crisis of confidence in Ireland's public finance sector. The country's third largest bank, Anglo Irish BankAnglo Irish Bank
Anglo Irish Bank was a bank based in Ireland with its headquarters in Dublin from 1964 to 2011. It went into wind-down mode after nationalisation in 2009....
, is subject to an ongoing controversy over hidden loans
Anglo Irish Bank hidden loans controversy
The Anglo Irish Bank hidden loans controversy began in the Republic of Ireland in December 2008 when the chairman of Anglo Irish Bank, Ireland's third largest bank, admitted he had hidden a total of €87 million in loans from the bank, triggering a series of incidents which led to the eventual...
carried out by Sean FitzPatrick
Sean FitzPatrick
Seán FitzPatrick was chairman of Anglo Irish Bank until he resigned in December 2008 amid mounting revelations over hidden loans...
and had to be nationalised
Anglo Irish Bank Corporation Bill 2009
The Anglo Irish Bank Corporation Act 2009 is a piece of emergency legislation composed by the Irish government in January 2009. The Act provides for the emergency nationalisation of Anglo Irish Bank which had been subject to a controversy regarding hidden loans in December 2008...
in January 2009. Proposals for recapitalisation of Allied Irish Bank and the Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
itself have been announced, but have not yet actually taken place to date. These incidents have led to a number of resignations within the financial sector and government approval ratings have dropped to record lows, as industrial action was seen for the first time in two decades the day before this record robbery.
See also
- 2004 Northern Bank robbery in Northern IrelandNorthern Bank robberyThe Northern Bank robbery was a large robbery of cash from the Donegall Square West headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Carried out by a large, proficient group on 20 December 2004, the gang seized the equivalent of £26.5 million in pounds sterling and small amounts of...
- List of famous bank robbers and robberies
- List of major crimes in Ireland
- Tiger kidnappingTiger kidnappingA tiger kidnapping or tiger robbery is a crime in which an abduction forms part of a robbery, murder, or any other crime. A person of importance to the victim is held hostage as collateral until the victim has met the criminal's demands.-Etymology:...