Balrath PO targeted by raiders for third time

Balrath Post Office was robbed for the third time in 18 months after three men entered the premises yesterday (Tuesday) morning armed with a sledgehammer and an axe. The rural post office, located on the N2, has been the target of several robberies over the years and the latest incident occurred at 10am yesterday morning. The three men were wearing baseball caps and had builders' dust masks covering their faces. One of the men was carrying a large sledgehammer and another had a small axe. The female staff member who was on the premises at the time retreated into the back office and locked the door. The men proceeded to smash the security screen and jumped across the counter to take the contents of the till. They also took the staff member's handbag before fleeing the scene. It is understood that they made off with a couple of hundred euro. The men are described as being in their late teens or early 20s and left the scene in a dark-coloured car in the direction of Dublin. Gardai received reports of suspicious activity in the vicinity of Rathfeigh Church and the getaway car, a Volvo S40, was found abandoned there. It is understood that attempts may have been made to set the vehicle alight. Gardai believe the culprits switched to a white van and that there may have also been another car involved. It emerged the Volvo had been stolen in Naas last weekend and the vehicle was removed for technical examination by Gardai. The Garda Air Support Unit was on its way to Dundalk when the raid occurred and the helicopter was quickly in the area but there was no further sighting of the culprits after they switched vehicles. Gardai have examined CCTV footage and say they have clear footage and are attempting to identify the raiders. Last year, in the space of a six-week period, two robberies occurred at Balrath Post Office. The first was on 14th March 2009 when two men entered the post office shortly before lunchtime and smashed the glass partition with a lump hammer and jumped across the counter. They attempted to open a safe but were confronted by the postmistress and her husband and they managed to just grab a bag of coins before fleeing the scene. On 23rd April, shortly before 11am, two raiders entered the premises, one of whom had a gun and threatened the postmistress. One man was wearing a balaclava and the other had his face concealed with a scarf. The husband of the postmistress confronted the raiders and they panicked and left the scene. Meanwhile, the N2 - the main road on which Balrath PO is located - is one of the corridors being targeted by Gardai in the Meath Division as part of Operation Anville, which is ongoing on a daily basis in the division. Armed units have been carrying out checkpoints on a regular basis in addition to the usual checkpoints and Garda patrols. The operation, which aims to tackle organised crime and prevent the movement of criminals and disrupt their activities, was stepped up this week. Gardai have recognised that the N2 is a popular corridor for criminals, who can be in the northern outskirts of Dublin city in just 20 minutes from Balrath. There are also several escape routes available to criminals from this point as they can travel north in the direction of Slane, towards Navan, Drogheda or Dublin. Gardai say they are aware that the N2 is a popular route for criminals and have been deliberately targeting the route with additonal armed checkpoints.