THREE MEN were questioned and later released on bail yesterday, pending further police inquiries following the latest so-called “tiger kidnapping” robbery in Belfast.
Four armed and masked men burst into a house in south Belfast at about 9.30pm on Thursday and ordered a woman there at gunpoint to go to her place of work in the Boucher Road area a short distance away.
Her partner was held hostage by the same armed gang and taken away in a van while the woman travelled separately to the business premises as ordered by the men.
Another couple and two children who were in the house at the time were also detained at gunpoint during the incident.
The woman entered the premises and removed a sum of cash from the company safe and gave it to members of the gang who had followed her to the scene. Her partner was then released unharmed from a van by other members of the gang.
Neither of them was harmed and it has not been revealed how much cash the woman was forced to hand over.
According to a police spokeswoman last night, three men who had been detained for questioning have been released on bail. Inquiries into the robbery are continuing.
Detectives have appealed for more information about the incident. They particularly want to hear from anyone who may have seen a light-coloured van being driven in suspicious circumstances in the Stewart Street area of the Markets in south Belfast on Thursday.
They also want to know if anyone saw a Renault Scenic also being driven in suspicious circumstances in the same area.
PSNI statistics show that at least 10 so-called “tiger kidnappings” had been committed before Thursday night’s robbery.
Figures relating to this type of crime have proved remarkably consistent since more than £26.5 million was stolen from the Donegall Square headquarters of the Northern Bank in Belfast city centre in December 2004.
The gang responsible held two families hostage while bank employees were ordered to go to the bank to organise a handover of the cash.
The PSNI said there were 12 further kidnap robberies in 2006, with an additional 11 in 2007 and 10 in 2008.
The rate of crime in Northern Ireland remains below that in England and Wales, government figures released yesterday have confirmed.
Paul Goggins, the direct rule minister responsible for policing and justice, said the region is still among one of the safest in the United Kingdom.
“This survey confirms that the number of people falling victim to crime in Northern Ireland has fallen, and the figures are at their lowest level since this crime survey was introduced,” he said.
“We also hope it helps address fear of crime and builds confidence within communities – people in Northern Ireland are much less likely to become a victim of crime than in England and Wales.
“But we will not allow ourselves to become complacent – we are reducing crime, but there is room for improvement.
“Government is committed to reducing crime even further, with a particular focus on levels of anti-social behaviour, violent crime, car crime and domestic burglary,” said Mr Goggins.