There's been another ATM theft in the North - but the thieves got away empty handed this time.
Two were ripped from the wall of a supermarket in Ballymena, Co. Antrim early this morning.
At around three o'clock this morning, two cash machines were stolen from the wall of a supermarket using a digger and tractor.
Police have recovered two ATMs after they were stolen from a Ballymena supermarket overnight. A responding police patrol spotted them being driven away from the scene and followed, forcing thieves to abandon them. The ATMs will now be forensically examined.
— PSNI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 26, 2019
Police in the North were alerted and spotted the ATMs being driven away and the vehicle was later found abandoned, while a tractor and digger were set on fire.
There has been more than a dozen ATMs stolen on both sides of the border in recent months.
Detective Chief Inspector David Henderson said:
“The recovered ATMs will now be examined for any forensic evidence they might yield."
"On this occasion the quick response of the police patrol was able to force the thieves to abandon their vehicles and the ATMs and they have fled empty-handed."
"It is likely that the digger and tractor involved were stolen - however no reports of such machinery being stolen have been received as yet."
"The reality is that these attacks are carried out across a wide geographical area and we cannot be present at every ATM location all of the time."
