Two men are currently in Garda custody after the attempted theft of an ATM in Virginia, Co. Cavan.
In the early hours of this morning, Wednesday, August 14, uniform and plain-clothes Gardaí, attached to Cavan/Monaghan Garda divisions, and supported by Garda National Units, intervened in the attempted robbery, which involved an excavator.
Two men were subsequently arrested as part of a Garda investigation into the incident, and are being held under the provisions of Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007.
Earlier this year saw a spate of ATM thefts in Northern Ireland and the border region of the republic.
These incidents often saw criminals using excavators to pull ATMs out of walls, before making off in another vehicle.
Towards the end of April last, police in Northern Ireland began to increase patrols at ATM sites to ward off would-be criminals.
A Garda social media message said: “Due to the recent thefts of plant machinery which has been used in the subsequent removal of ATM machines in the [Garda] division, we would like to offer this advice to builders, farmers or plant hire operators.
“If you have mechanical diggers, tractors or low loaders on sites, outfarms, etc., please ensure they are stored securely and not left in an area that is easily accessed,” the Garda statement continued.