Newlands hold-up prompts protest

Press, 24 June 1978, Page 6

Newlands hold-up prompts protest

p Wellington The Bank Officers' Union was greatly concerned about staff safety because of the increasing number of armed bank robberies, said a union spokesman yesterday.

The union’s secretary (Mr 1 W. D. Amieri said that such robberies were likely to increase because of so many people being unemployed./ and because of others trying to support a drug habit. His comments were made after the second armed robbery in Wellington this week. On Tuesday afternoon an armed man held up the Wellington Savings Bank in Ridditord Street and got awav with SIOOO. A man appeared in the Palmerston North Court yes terday in connection with the incident. Yesterday tellers at the Kilbimie branch of the; Commercial Bank of Austra-; ha were robbed when two. armed men pointed pistols! at them. The men, both believed to| be in their 30s, got away with about $5OOO. A car was later found abandoned in Newtown. Both robbers wore balaclavas. One is described as 170 cm in height, stocky, with dark hair, and wearing grey clothing. The other is about 178 cm. slim, and wearing sky-blue clothing. Wellington detectives were; following leads last evening i but had made no arrests. A bank spokesman con-1 firmed afterwards rhat the I robbery had been filmed by

the bank’s security cameras./ The manager of a hard- I ware store near the bank —h which is in temporary pre-;; mises — said it appeared that the alarm was raised during the robbery’. The manager, who did noth wish to be named, said the ■; bank’s manager (Mr D. Grant) had dashed out the j, back exit of the bank while; the robberv was in progress.; He ran to the hardware 1 store. “He rang up, and I think; he said ‘C.B.A. here; there’s been a hold-up.’ "He was obviously dazed.; He then walked out the front.i but the robbers had appa-i rentlv gone.” Eight years ago the Kilj bimie branch of the bank . was robbed of $6500 when i masked robbers held up staff at pistol point. That robbery

i was committed in the branch’s old brick premises! ion the comer of Onepu Road, and Coutts Street. Mr Amier said that a joint committee looking at staff safetv had recentlv been set; ;up to discuss hazards such ’as robberies. “You will never stop people I going in with a gun and holding the place up. You I can’t prevent it.” he said. I “But you can try to take adequate care of people.” Banks were willing to cooperate to try to improve securitv if necessary. "We are fortunate compared with Australia, where ■the level of robberies is higher and a lot more menacing.” Mr Amier said. Staff were now trained in what to do if there was a hold-up: “It doesn’t include amateur heroics.”