Police release bank raid video footage

The robbers have used firearms in the raids

Police have released video footage of a gang which has been robbing banks in the west of Scotland.

Since August, the gang is believed to have raided four branches of the Clydesdale Bank in Ayrshire and one in Dumfries and Galloway.

On each occasion, they made off with four-figure sums in under one minute.

An e-fit of a man seen outside one of the banks was released

Officers from Strathclyde Police believe the gang may be from Northern Ireland.

Detective Superintendent Stephen Heath, who is leading the investigation, renewed his appeal for information from the public.

He said: "Clearly they know what they are doing. They are in and out in under one minute.

"One of the robberies was under 30 seconds. This isn't some sort of game. It isn't out of a film.

"It's real people with real firearms and these are real people working in banks that are receiving that kind of violence."

E-fit issued

"We really need to catch them."

On Monday police released video footage which showed two men wearing baseball caps bursting into a Clydesdale Bank branch.

One of the thieves is seen jumping over the counter and pointing a firearm at a member of staff while a female customer and another bank worker look on.

Safety for our customers and staff are the highest priority for the bank

Sam Hornell, Clydesdale Bank

The armed man stashed money into a bag before both robbers made their getaway in just under 48 seconds.

However, detectives working on the inquiry believe that at least three or four people are involved in the robberies.

An E-fit of a man seen acting suspiciously near to the scene of one of the robberies has also been issued.

On several occasions, witnesses have specified that the robbers have an Irish accent and were possibly from Belfast.

However detectives said there was no information to support any link to a terrorist group.

This is one of the men police want to speak to

They are continuing to work closely with the Northern Ireland police service in the hunt for the robbers.

Sam Hornell, the Clydesdale Bank's head of personal financial services in the west of Scotland, said it had reviewed security procedures following the raids.

"Safety for our customers and staff are the highest priority for the bank," he said.

"A number of additional security measures have been introduced in our Ayrshire branches and we will continue to work closely with Strathclyde Police to implement a number of security options in our branch network."

A £15,000 reward is being offered by the British banker Association for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the robberies.