SCOTLAND YARD FLYING SQUAD FOILED ROBBERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1948, Page 5

SCOTLAND YARD FLYING SQUAD FOILED ROBBERS

(Rec. 10.5 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 12. How members of the Scotland Yard flying squad posed as warehouse officials and foiled an attempted robbery of a bonded warehouse at London airport on the night of July 28, was told in the Police Court when nine men, handcuffed, appeared on charges of stealing keys belonging to the warehouse staff. The prosecutor said that 15 policemen, acting on advance information, stationed themselves round the warehouse at midnight. Two posed as loaders and another as a security officer with keys to the safe in his pocket. They lav down and appeared to be drugged' as a lorry pulled up outside. Masked men tied up the three police officers and struck the man with the keys on the back of the head. As the masked men attempted to open the safe, police officers appeared from hiding. The men used iron bars, wire-cutters and bludgeons in the ensuing fight. The warehouse held diamonds worth £139,000 and £224,580 of other merchandise. A plane carrying £250,000 of gold bullion was expected on the day ol the robbery, but was delayed. The prosecutor said it was “an extremely well-organised attempt at robbery of great magnitude.” A number of police officers and accused men were injured in the fight. One man hobbled into the dock with a broken ankle. The hearing was adjourned until August 17. The accused remained in custody. ,