XPost: uk.politics.misc, alt.politics.british, uk.media   
   From: banana@REMOVE_THIS.borve.demon.co.uk   
      
   In article , rich   
    writes   
      
   >"banana"  wrote in message   
   >news:Y1cOlRAXmu$DFwuE@borve.demon.co.uk...   
   >> Notes on the Securitas robbery:   
   >>   
   >> 1) kidnapping the depot manager and his family in separate snatches is a   
   >> well-known method. They're not saying much about what defences were in   
   >> place against this, are they? Did the security guard at the perimeter   
   >> just wave him through, not noticing that guys were sitting next to him,   
   >> or what? And no-one managed to push an alarm button for however long it   
   >> took to load up the vehicle with the money? I doubt this very much.   
   >> Those places are well-protected, and they are INSURED too. They must   
   >> necessarily have procedures in place against this sort of robbery   
   >> involving kidnapping. It is more likely that a DECISION was taken to let   
   >> them have the money. Contrary to what is said in the UK media, loads of   
   >> money is paid to kidnappers in the UK.   
   >>   
   >> 2) Another possibility - even more likely, IMO - is that State forces of   
   >> one kind or another have just had a large input of cash. Goodness knows   
   >> what it will be used for. For rather nasty stuff, I should imagine.   
   >   
   >Here's an article from today's Independent. It's the white transit van that   
   >gets me. Does it seem likely that a professional criminal outfit would leave   
   >all their gear, i.e. potentialy highly incriminating evidence, and a load of   
   >dosh in a car park for fuck's sake?   
   >I'm surprised they didn't find a copy of the Koran and some flight manuals -   
   >sorry, couldn't resist it.   
   >It's been widely reported that it was £1.3m. (It's also been reported that   
   >this was "new" money and that this was the reason it wasn't wanted by the   
   >gang.)   
   >You'd torch the van & dump the guns.   
      
   Agreed. When I heard about someone being arrested for opening a bank   
   account with 6000 pounds in cash (after this robbery - and they were   
   quickly released, having had zero to do with it), I thought 'ah - the   
   authorities are getting their message across'. But apparently they   
   reported that the 6 grand was in wrappers saying 'Tunbridge Wells'.   
      
      
   >Something smells here.   
   >I wonder what is supposed to have prompted the "member of the public" to   
   >ring the police about a white transit?   
   >And why dump the cages from the 7.5 tonner used to lift the money?   
   >Rich.   
   >   
   >Net closing in on '£50m robbery gang'   
   >By Matt Adams, PA News   
   >Published: 26 February 2006   
   >Police were today examining "a number of significant items" including guns   
   >and steel cages thought to have been used in the multi-million pound   
   >Securitas raid.   
   >   
   >Detectives announced earlier today that items found in an abandoned white   
   >van in Ashford, Kent, included not only bags of cash but also firearms,   
   >balaclavas and body armour.   
   >   
   >And Kent Police today also revealed that 14 steel cages and packaging   
   >material were recovered from fields close to Coldblow Lane in Detling, near   
   >Maidstone, late on Friday evening.   
   >   
   >A spokesman said: "After an initial examination, the inquiry team is now   
   >satisfied that that these cages were used to move the money from the cash   
   >depot on the night of the robbery."   
   >   
   >The announcements came as Kent Police questioned two more people in   
   >connection with the robbery in which up to £50 million may have been stolen.   
   >   
   >Forensic experts are continuing to examine bags of cash recovered from the   
   >white Transit van spotted by a member of the public in the car park of the   
   >Ashford International Hotel.   
      
   Ashford eh? It's true that the area is renowned for big-time gangsters   
   living in mansions in surrounding villages... But I wonder whether   
   there's a connection with the stationing of some rather sharp bits of   
   the British army (e.g. ex-FRU) in Ashford...   
      
   >Police are yet to confirm how much cash was found in the van and if the   
   >money was taken from the Tonbridge depot during the raid in the early hours   
   >of Wednesday.   
   >   
   >Assistant Chief Constable of Kent, Adrian Leppard, said: "We have recovered   
   >cash, firearms, balaclavas and flak jackets similar in style to body armour   
   >inside the van."   
   >   
   >And describing the importance of the find, Mr Leppard said: "This discovery   
   >is important because of the description we have of the robbers. We know they   
   >were wearing this type of clothing.   
   >   
   >"Leaving firearms, clothing and cash in the van suggests to me that there   
   >are people in the gang who are now making mistakes.   
      
   :-)   
      
   Ah yes... Clever as foxes for doing the job, then clumsy as bears   
   afterwards... I don't think so...   
      
   >They are under pressure   
   >and we want to keep the pressure on. I am very encouraged at this stage by   
   >the progress we are making. The net is closing in."   
   >   
   >The Securitas depot boss targeted by the gang spoke for the first time   
   >yesterday about his family's "horrific" ordeal.   
   >   
   >Colin Dixon, 51, said the "terror" he, his wife Lynn, 45, and young son   
   >Craig had experienced had amounted to the "worst night of my life" and he   
   >appealed for the public's help in catching the " terrible" gang.   
   >   
   >Meanwhile, police say are currently following a number of lines of enquiry   
   >to establish how the metal cages were dumped at Detling.   
   >   
   >The cages and the lane where they were found are now subject to a detailed   
   >forensic examination.   
   >   
   >A number dark green coloured cages found are owned by the Bank of England.   
   >The others are generally used by Securitas for cash storage. They are   
   >coloured red, blue and silver and are in different sizes.   
   >   
   >Mr Leppard added: "These events represent significant developments in the   
   >investigation. I am hopeful that we will manage to gain key forensic   
   >evidence from these recoveries. As I have said before I am confident we will   
   >catch those responsible."   
   >   
   >Police were today examining "a number of significant items" including guns   
   >and steel cages thought to have been used in the multi-million pound   
   >Securitas raid.   
      
      
      
   >> 3) I heard an interview on BBC radio with a former senior cop. The BBC   
   >> guy said - in the form of a question, as usual - that the robbers would   
   >> have to be very careful if they wanted to do stuff like buy a car with a   
   >> bundle of notes. The former senior cop said nope, they're professionals,   
   >> they ain't going to do that - they'll launder it through e.g.   
   >> Liechtenstein instead, or via 'financial advisers' who are 'used to   
   >> taking large cash deposits'.   
   >   
   >Yes, "professionals" always do that just after leaving all the evidence in   
   >the car park!   
   >   
   >> The message being, of course, that anyone who buys a car with a couple   
   >> of grand in cash is dodgy... The backstory being, privacy is dangerous   
   >> and anti-social.   
   >"Normal" people, of course, only use credit cards, cheque books and   
      
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