December 10th 2016:
This is the terrifying moment a hammer-wielding raider stole cash from the till of a popular Dublin shop.
The thug threatened to assault staff with the weapon during the horrifying raid on the Spar shop on Dublin’s northside.
Incredibly the store has been raided four times in the past six months.
The criminal entered the shop on Tonlegee Road in Coolock last Saturday at 6.30pm, and immediately put staff in fear of their lives when he brandished the hammer.
Staff were forced to back away from the man as he went behind the counter to steal cash from the shop’s till.
The photograph of the raider shows the thug holding the hammer in his left hand as he seeks money from the cash drawer in the shop.
The man later fled the scene and gardí were alerted.
The photograph has been handed over to gardaí in Coolock and detectives are currently trying to identify the man.
The same shop was held up again by raiders just four days later.
A thug entered the shop on Wednesday night at around 9pm and threatened staff with a knife before robbing the business.
Staff at the same shop had suffered an earlier ordeal on October 31, when two men armed with a handgun and a knife embarked on a frightening hold-up on the premises. The two men escaped with a quantity of cash. The shop was also targeted by armed criminals on June 30, the first of four raids that have hit the same shop since the summer.
The manager of the store declined to comment on the spate of robberies that have plagued staff in recent months. The series of raids have been condemned by members of the public and a senior member of a retail business in Coolock.
They have all called for an increased garda presence to deter criminals. The robbery at the shop on Wednesday night is believed to be one of a number of armed raids and attempted raids to take place in the area on the same night.
Shop workers in the area said they heard there were at least three raids at retail premises on the same date. One of the businesses hit was the KFC fast food restaurant at Northside Shopping Centre.
A member of staff confirmed that a man wielding a knife attempted to carry out a robbery.
The thug, who was sitting in the restaurant, approached a female staff member and spoke to her in a low voice.
“When she moved closer to hear what he was saying, she saw he was carrying a knife and she ran and told the manager,” said the staff member.
The thug fled from the restaurant as the female member of staff went for help.
Concern
A senior member of staff at a different retail premises told the Herald that the spate of robberies in the locality was a matter of “deep concern” for all staff, customers, and residents in Coolock.
“There are not enough gardaí on duty in Coolock,” the concerned staff member said.
“We are frequently told by gardaí that there are not enough gardai cars available.
“Gardai are struggling to do their job and there are not enough of them around.
“There needs to be more gardai available to respond to situations.”