HC Deb 22 May 1952 vol 501 cc673-7
The Assistant Postmaster-General (Mr. David Gammans)

I should like with your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House to make a short statement on the robbery with violence of a Post Office van containing packages of high value yesterday morning in Central London. Her Majesty's Government felt, in view of the serious nature of this outrage and the fact that it had followed closely on a similar crime on British Railways, that the House was entitled to an early statement.

The facts so far as they are at present known are as follows. Yesterday morning a Post Office van left Paddington Station for the City. Owing to road repairs in Oxford Street, there was a diversion of traffic and when the van was in East Castle Street at about 4.20 a.m. it was attacked in the following way. A private car emerged slowly from a side street causing the Post Office driver to pull up without arousing his suspicions in any way; almost simultaneously a second car which had been following the Post Office van drew up quickly alongside it. Seven men, all masked, immediately got out of the two cars, attacked the driver and the two Post Office officials who were seated beside him, and left two of them lying unconscious on the pavement. I am glad to inform the House that happily they are making a good recovery.

The Post Office van was then driven away and was later discovered by the police in a yard near Regent's Park. The police were summoned in a short time by a member of the public whose attention had been drawn by the noise.

I had better explain to the House that the removal of very high value packages from Paddington and other stations is a regular part of the service provided by the Post Office for many years past. Two men are sent on these vans in addition to the driver, and the vans are fitted with an alarm siren which can be operated by the driver and which, when once pressed, cannot be stopped until either the battery runs down or is disconnected by an expert. It has since been discovered that this alarm bell had been tampered with. I am satisfied that all the normal precautions laid down in the case of these very high value packages were observed.

In the case of this particular van the contents were Treasury notes sent by banks in the West Country for delivery to their head offices in London; there were no jewels of any sort. The precise value of the money stolen is not yet accurately known but it is of the order of £200,000. In view of the statements in the Press that this loss falls upon the Post Office, I should perhaps make it clear that the liability of the Post Office is £5 for each of the 90 odd packages that are missing, but this fact must only increase the Post Office sense of responsibility.

My noble Friend takes an extremely grave view of this robbery, coming as it does so soon after similar robberies in other parts of the country. He is not satisfied, however, that the procedure which has proved satisfactory in the past is adequate under present circumstances. Certain additional precautions of a temporary and short-term nature have already been put into operation and consultations are going on with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police as to what extent extra permanent safeguards may be required. The House will not expect me to be specific as to the details of such arrangements.

Mr. Ness Edwards

I am sure the House will be glad to hear that the two Post Office officials are recovering. I hope that the hon. Gentleman's noble Friend will suitably reward these two men for the excellent fight they put up against very great odds indeed.

I should like to ask three questions. First, is there any significance in the fact that this van was chosen on this particular morning for the robbery? Does it indicate that the contents of this van on this particular morning did contain a much greater quantity of money or valuables than on any other morning? Secondly, is the hon. Gentleman himself satisfied that, if the alarm siren had been set off by the driver, it is highly improbable that the bandits would have succeeded? Thirdly, although I do not ask him to detail the arrangements that have been made, is he now satisfied that adequate precautions will be available in future for Post Office officials who are in charge of such valuable cargoes?

Mr. Gammans

The investigations as to this particular van are not yet completed, but it is perfectly clear that this was a very carefully thought out job. So far as additional precautions are concerned, I can assure the right hon. Gentleman, as I have said, that they are already in operation. As to the permanent precautions, our consultations with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police have naturally not yet been completed.

Air Commodore Harvey

It is understood that these Treasury notes were being sent to the City for pulping. If that is the case, could they not be defaced, or cut in two pieces and posted in separate parcels to obviate even any intention on the part of such robbers? It would avoid a lot of trouble.

Mr. Gammans

That is one of the matters which I imagine the banks will consider in the light of this present outrage.

Mr. Bellenger

As it is now obvious that it is very dangerous to send such a large sum of money by a Post Office van of this nature, will the hon. Gentleman see to it in future that he spreads the risk and does not concentrate it, as he seems to have done on this occasion?

Mr. Gammans

I would prefer not to say what the future arrangements will be. I must point out that these arrangements have been in force successfully for many years past, but if we are to assume a different state of probity on the part of the public generally, then the Post Office vans and bank messengers carrying money will require quite a different degree of protection in future.

Sir W. Wakefield

Are the numbers of the notes known; and, if so, is there any possibility of tracing and possibly recovering them?

Mr. Gammans

I understand that almost all of them are either £1 notes or 10s. notes, and of course in these cases no numbers are kept.

Mr. Hobson

Were the Investigation Branch of the General Post Office informed of the transit of this valuable package of notes? If not, why not?

Mr. Gammans

The answer is that this was in no way a solitary or a unique transaction. The conveyance of currency notes and very highly valuable packages goes on every day of the week, so there was nothing particular about this consignment that would have demanded additional precautions.

Mr. W. R. Williams

Does the Assistant Postmaster-General agree that, having regard to what happened yesterday, he will now have to give serious consideration to these matters which have been raised by certain organisations with his administration in the past in regard to the need for more safety measures in connection with such valuable special deliveries? Secondly—and I appreciate that this is a very delicate question, but I am asking it advisedly-will he now consider whether he should not revert to the pre-war method of recruitment into the Post Office, whereby the administration had to be perfectly satisfied about the bona fides of all entrants into the Post Office, and that they knew something about them? Lastly, will he also consider paying some of these people in accordance with the responsibility of the work they have to perform?

Mr. Gammans

I am sure that the first point which the hon. Gentleman raised will come into our general investigation. With regard to the character of Post Office servants, there is no justification whatever for the hon. Gentleman to suggest that the probity of these particular men could be brought into question.

Mr. Williams

I appreciate that. I want to make it perfectly clear that I should be the last one in this House to make any suggestion either against these men or against postmen in general, but I think we have seriously to consider whether a thing like this could have occurred if it had not been possible for some detailed information to have become available to the people who made the attack.

Mr. Gammans

As I have already said, I have no doubt whatever that this was a very carefully planned job. There is certainly every indication of it.

Mr. Hobson

Is the Minister aware that it is the normal practice of the General Post Office to inform their Investigation Branch when a special consignment, such as the one which was the subject of the robbery, is taking place from depot to depot? Were they informed in this particular case, and if not, why not?

Mr. Gammans

This was not in any way a special consignment.