POL00342530 - Post Office LTD Security Report serious incident for Hope Farm Road Version 2.3
Evidence on official site
Serious Security Incident Process
Appendix Il
Post Office Ltd - CONFIDENTIAL
POST OFFICE LTD
SECURITY REPORT
SERIOUS INCIDENT
TO: Keith Gilchrist COPY: FILE
Security Team Manager
FROM: Andrew Wise
Security Advisor DATE:
10/ 05 / 2013
Robbery Post Incident Report
Hope Farm Road
3 Hope Farm Precint
Great Sutton
Ellesmere Port
CH66 2RG
Telephone No:
FAD Code: 238420
Name of Subpostmaster: lan Mcintosh
Date of Appointment:
Assistant on duty: SPMR Martin Griffiths Assistant Julie
Griffiths
RLM/HOA: Branch Support Team
Risk score: Risk category
Date and time of incident: 02/05/2013 at 17:25
Date of Post incident visit: 03/05/2013
Was Post incident visit made within 7 calendar days? : Yes
Amount of loss: Cash: £53222.76
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Stock: £1132.20 ‘Total incident loss: £54354.96
Police contact: DC Steven Marsland ;
Crime reference:
Security equipment to be ordered: Yes (if yes, see summary at
appendix A) No
1. Opening statement.
Hope Farm Road Post Office is situated in a small town called
Great Sutton around 3 miles from the M53
The Post Office is situated on a small shopping precinct in the
middle of a row of shops. There is a small car park in front of the
shops which provides parking for the precinct.
As you enter the Post Office through the front door the 2 counter
serving positions are in front of you with the secure door just to the
right of the counter as you face it.
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The post Office has a small retail area with a small retail till on the
public side in the window..
2. Current security equipment (to include equipment
requirements and summarisation to Appendix A)
e¢ Screen: 2 position anti bandit screen 2000 with a secure door
to the right which houses the parcel hatch
¢ Safe (EFSG) and ancillary equipment and coin safe
¢ Alarm:
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3. The incident
At approximately 5.25pm on Thursday 2"4 May Mr Martin
Griffiths (Subpostmaster) and his clerk Julie Griffiths
(no relation to subpostmaster) were on duty and were
putting all the cash and stock away. Both safes were
open.
Mr Griffiths was stood at the secure door which also
housed the Parcel Hatch. The Postman had arrived to
collect the mail, Mr Griffiths had put around 2 mail bags
outside of the secure door and the postman had taken
these out of the office to his van.
As the Post Man re entered the branch 2 masked men
wearing dark clothing, one with a balaclava and one with
a stocking of his head burst in and pushed the Post man
aside. Mr Griffiths stated that he was stood at the
secure door with the door open so he could hand the daily
work and giro pouch to the Post Man and get him to sign
for the paperwork and went over to the secure door.
One man tried to pull the door open while the other man
attacked the screen with a sledge hammer.
Mr Griffiths attempted to get the door shut at which
point he believes he was hit on the left hand with some
sort of metal bar (possibly a crow bar). At this point Mr
Griffiths stopped fighting and allowed the 2 men into the
secure area. At this point the assistant Julie Griffiths
had crouched down and hid behind the coin safe.
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One assailant stayed at the door while the other emptied
both safes and took the cash tray and stamp portfolio off
the top of the counters and put them into the black
holdall that they were carrying.
The 2 men fled in what was believed to be a Red Honda
Civic car (another male was waiting in this).
Martin pressed the alarm and the police arrived shortly
afterwards. The police called the ambulance to look over
Martins hand. It was badly bruised but nothing serious
and did not go to hospital.
4. Conclusions
e £54354.96 was stolen from the post office, £53222.76 of this
was cash.
¢ Nocustomers were present in the Post Office at the Time of
the attack
e The SPMR Mr Martin Griffiths sustained bruising to his left
hand due to being hit by a metal bar — An ambulance
attended at the scene however Mr Griffiths was not
hospitalised.
e Weapons used were a sledge hammer and a metal bar.
Information from the police states that the vehicle used in the
attack has been recovered burnt out. Also 1 arrest has been made
and an amount of money recovered (the police do not believe the
full amount has been recovered.
It should be noted that when the Trauma Support Manager visited
the branch on Tuesday 7" April 2013 the version of events given
by the assistant Julie Griffiths was different to what Mr Martin
Griffiths had stated.
Below is an extract from the Trauma Support Managers
report (Lee Heil).
Her account states that Martin was actually sat down at
the counter position next to the secure door when the 2
males entered and she had to tell Martin what was
happening as he wasn’t aware. She informs me that the
parcel hatch was open and that he went to the secure door
when they started smashing the screen which is where I
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believe Martin sustained the injury to his hand whilst
trying to shut the parcel hatch. She said they emptied
one safe and shouted ‘Where’s the rest of the money’ at
which point Martin took them over to the time locked safe
that was already open
This version of events is not consistent with the version
of events from the SPMR Mr Martin Griffiths.
Security inspection on 3/5/2013 at Hope Farm Road Po
Risk Score
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
APPENDIX A
The following is a summary of the key _ physical
recommendations.
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1. PHYSICAL SECURITY
ITEM ACTION
Smashed Screen to be repaired SPMR
2 Other Issues
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Post Office Ltd - CONFIDENTIAL
SECURITY CERTIFICATE
To: Security Support
Post Office Ltd Security Team
Clippers Quay
Salford
M50 3NW
From: Mr. Martin Griffiths
Temp Sub-postmaster
Hope Farm Road SPSO
I have received and understood the security report dated
selec eccees :
I have implemented all of the recommendations shown, except for
those listed below, which I have been unable to implement for the
reasons indicated:
Recommendation _I Reason why this has not been implemented:
Datestamp and FAD Coag -
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