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Teenagers on bail rob hundreds of security vans
Justin Davenport and Jason Bennetto07.08.08
Armed robberies are being carried out by teenagers out on bail for similar offences, a senior Met officer has revealed.
The robberies - known as cash-intransit heists - target guards in vans as they deliver or collect cash from building societies or bookmakers.
By 31 April last year the number of such attacks rose in the year by 131 per cent to 554. Three quarters were committed by thieves aged between 14 and 22.
Detective Superintendent Bob Cummings, head of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, which is responsible for tackling robberies in the capital, told the Evening Standard that children who commit these crimes risk getting shot: "Our intelligence often shows there are firearms in these teenage gangs and so we are going out armed.
"The fact that they are so young generates new problems such as the granting of bail. We have had at least two cases recently of youngsters being bailed and then re-arrested for van attacks."
Reader views (5)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Here we go again when will the Government wake up and look what they are doing to this country, stop treading softly to keep the PC brigade happy there are so many hard working folk out too scared to say anything and who are paying for everything. Time to great harder on criminals, build new prisons on ships off shore come up with something
- Helen, London
How on earth is somebody involved in an armed robbery granted bail? Surely there is every possibility that they will pose a danger to the public. If you are re-arrested whilst on bail you should have to serve the full term of both sentences consecutively.
- Mark, London, UK
Bring back the tories
- Mike, london
Bailed? For robbing a money van and they somehow expect them to honour that bail and not be naughty boys?
I agree with Les, ordinary folk are getting hammered in this country while the criminals and dole squatters have a knees-up. It's pathetic, if I had the money I would leave this dump of a country behind.
- Alan, Middlesbrough
Nu Labour, Soft on crime, soft on the causes of crime, soft on criminals, soft on sentencing.
Taxing and hounding ordinary working folk struggling to stay afloat, whilst trying to keep our children out of harms way.
Nu Labour = betrayal of working people and their children.
- Les, London
