Police were “wholly justified” in shooting out the tyres of a vehicle used by ATM raiders in the dramatic Angus conclusion to a major operation in which the crooks were snared after a series of thefts across the UK.
Following the conviction of seven men at Liverpool Crown Court for a total of 13 cash machine thefts, including strikes at Perth and Carnoustie, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) has published the findings of a investigation into the events of February 12 last year when the gang were cornered in the car park of Arbroath’s McDonalds fast food restaurant.
Earlier that morning the gang had ripped the ATM from the shop floor of the Co-op in Carnoustie.
They then headed for the drive-thru restaurant at Westway retail park and stunned customers watched as armed police swooped on the group, with tyre deflation rounds fired as the gang tried to ram an escape route in their stolen Mercedes.
The findings of the PIRC investigation were submitted to the Chief Constable of Police Scotland in May last year, and have been released following the conclusion of a four-month trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
In total, seven men, from Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham have been convicted of a total of 13 ATM raids across the UK which netted half a million pounds – including over £100,000 in Scotland – and they will be sentenced later this month.
The Commissioner’s report found that because of the high risk posed to the public and police, the police firearms response was both necessary and proportionate to allow the officers to disable the suspects’ vehicle, prevent them from escaping and maximise the safety of the public and police.
During the incident, two further rounds were also discharged at another vehicle which was mistakenly thought to be involved with the earlier theft.
The Commissioner, Kate Frame, said: “The police response, to what was a significant threat to public safety and the officers themselves, was wholly justified.
“They had reliable intelligence to indicate they were dealing with suspects who had access to firearms, a history of extreme violence and who had previously used high-powered stolen vehicles to ram police vehicles and escape.
“When the suspects then used the same dangerous tactic to try and avoid arrest during this incident, the use of tyre deflation rounds to disable their vehicle was not only necessary but proportionate.”
