By John McCusker
AN Omagh community worker has questioned the police handling of the crime scene following last week's armed hold-up outside the Halifax Building Society premises.
Around 8pm last Thursday night, a man armed with a gun approached a van driver and his assistant as they made a stop-off at the premises in High Street. However, the pair managed to escape the attacker before locking themselves inside the building.
A gun believed to have been used in the attack was later spotted lying in the road close to the cash-in-transit van.
This week, the community worker, who declined to be identified, questioned the police operation in the aftermath of the incident. He stumbled on the incident after walking unchallenged into High Street from the Strule Arts Centre.
"Although there was a cordon set up from the courthouse to Scarffe's Entry, people were apparently free to walk up and down the street.
"This was a robbery scene, but I watched people walk right down close to where it happened. I was within 10-12 feet and could clearly see what looked like a handgun and another item lying in the road on the Carlton Bakery side of the van.
"Here you had a robbery scene, yet people were freely able to walk around and have a close-up look at what happened. It's amazing that there wasn't a tighter cordon in place immediately after the incident. There just seemed to have been a complete lack of understanding," he added.
Police say the robber - who was six feet tall and wearing tracksuit bottoms, a black hooded top, black woollen hat with a red stripe and white trainers – fled the scene towards a small silver coloured car at the courthouse.
escape
As reported in Monday's
Tyrone Herald, he made his escape along Bridge Street before colliding with a car at the traffic lights at Mountjoy Road. Police later sealed off Mountjoy Road and questioned eye-witnesses.
Forensic officers later carried out a finger-tip search of the scene in High Street and weapons experts examined the discarded handgun.
Drivers who were forced to leave their cars parked within the police cordon overnight returned the next morning to find they had been issued with parking tickets.
Sinn Fein Cllr Sean Begley – who sits on the local Policing Board – condemned the incident and appealed to anyone with information to pass it on to the relevant authorities.
"People's lives were put in danger," Cllr Begley said. "The lives of the two guards were put at risk and I would commend their actions by locking themselves inside the building."
West Tyrone Assembly Member, Tom Buchanan also condemned those involved in the recent attempted bank robbery.
Cllr Buchanan said, "Yet again those involved in providing a service to our community have been the subject of a harrowing experience at the hands of armed robbers who attempted to rob their cash delivery van in Omagh last Thursday night.
"I commend the swift actions of the local police in attending to the scene of this incident and congratulate them on the information that they have gathered already."
Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information should contact police at Omagh on 0845 600 8000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
