THE armed robbery at Dublin Airport on Friday in which up to £100,000 was taken from the Bank of Ireland lasted just two minutes and 40 seconds, it was claimed in the Dail.
Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr Jim Higgins, said that according to the Aer Rianta security footage, the robbery began at 5.40 a.m. and finished at 5.42 a.m.
"It was a well-planned, highly professional operation," said Mr Higgins, who raised the issue on the adjournment of the Dail and expressed concern about the increase in armed robberies - 61 last year.
The reality was that the "zero tolerance" policy of the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, was not working, he added, and he called for a review of banks' security policy and for a major clampdown by gardai on violent crime.
Mr O'Donoghue said that the National Civil Aviation Security Committee was to be reconvened by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, and would discuss "what lessons, if any, may emerge for improving security arrangements at Dublin Airport".
He added that while there was an upward trend in overall armed raids this year, "the present level is still below that of 1996". There were 36 armed bank raids in 1996, 10 in 1997 and 31 last year.
