Police have confirmed that a taxi driver was forced to enter a Kirkcaldy bank at the centre of a major incident and hand over a note to staff demanding money.
Officers are still hunting for the armed man who forced the driver of a grey Skoda Octavia to drive to the Bank of Scotland in Kirkcaldy’s Mitchelston Industrial Estate on Wednesday afternoon before making him, under duress, go inside and get cash.
The man, who spoke with a distinctive Eastern European accent, then ran off with a four-figure sum of money and is still at large, while the terrified taxi driver was safely taken away by officers.
Police later recovered the cash at the scene.
Police Scotland has revealed that they were alerted to the “possibility of the presence of some form of explosive device” during the incident which resulted in a “significant” policing response which included police and military specialist resources from across the country.
However, they concluded that no explosives or bombs were present during the incident dismissing reports to the contrary.
Inquiries have also revealed that the taxi involved picked up the suspect from The Avenue in Lochgelly near to the industrial estate at around 12.40pm on Wednesday, at which point he forced the taxi driver to drive the seven miles to Kirkcaldy.Kirkcaldy bank raid: As it happenedDetective Inspector Charlie Duncan is leading the investigation and said officers are appealing for witnesses.
“I want to speak to anyone who may have been in the area of the industrial estate in Lochgelly between 12.15pm and 12.40pm yesterday and saw the man who is described as white, 5 foot 6 inches tall, of heavy build and wearing a dark green baseball cap, a dark green scarf, a thick dark blue jacket, tracksuit bottoms and sunglasses,” he said.
“He spoke with a distinctive Eastern European accent.
“I am particularly interested to trace any taxi drivers who may have taken a hire to the Lochgelly area yesterday who matched this description.
“We are not certain how this individual came to be in that area, but due to the location it is unlikely that he walked there.
“We would also be keen to trace any taxi drivers or members of the public who may have seen a man fitting this description leaving the Kirkcaldy area anytime from 1.30pm following the incident at the bank.”
The bank itself has reopened as normal today, while local schools that were in lockdown while the drama unfolded are also back to normal.
Superintendent Derek McEwan said: “I would like to offer a reassurance to the public that all actions of the police yesterday were done to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities.
“I would also like to praise the courage and bravery of the taxi driver and staff within the Bank of Scotland who remained calm during this entire incident.
“Officers will be in Kirkcaldy and Lochgelly offering further reassurance and carrying out more enquiries today, and will be available to speak to anyone who has any information which could assist our investigation.”
Anyone with information should contact Kirkcaldy CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.