§ 2.36 p.m
§ THE EARL OF LISTOWELMy Lords, I rise to ask Her Majesty's Government the Question of which I have given private notice—namely, whether Her Majesty's Government have any statement to make about the mail van robbery which occurred yesterday morning in Oxford Street?
§ THE POSTMASTER GENERAL (EARL DE LA WARR)My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Earl for giving me an opportunity 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 that in view of the serious nature of this outrage, and the fact that it followed closely on a similar crime on British Railways only last week, the House was entitled to an early statement.
The facts, so far as they are at present known, are these. 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, and 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, 1288 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 attracted by the noise.
I had better explain to your Lordships that the removal of very high value packages from Paddington and other stations has been 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 has been tampered with. I am satisfied that all the normal precautions laid down in the case of these very high value packages had been 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 ninety-odd packages that are missing; but this fact must only increase the Post Office sense of responsibility. I take an extremely grave view of this robbery, coming as it does so soon after similar robberies in other parts of the country, and I am convinced that the procedure which has proved satisfactory for so long in the past is not adequate in 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.
§ LORD MORRISONMy Lords, may I refer to the noble Earl's statement that there was interference with the alarm bell, and ask whether, on the occasion of the theft which happened last month, the same thing had happened?
§ EARL DE LA WARRMy Lords, speaking offhand I do not think it had, but I will certainly look into that matter and inform the noble Lord. I should, perhaps, say that there is no blame attaching to anyone for the fact that the siren had been interfered with and that this fact was not ascertained by the chauffeur. He would not lie in a position to test the alarm beforehand, since when it was once started he would not be able to stop it.
§ THE EARL OF LISTOWELMy Lords, I am sure that the House and the public will be reassured on hearing of the further precautions which the noble Earl proposes to take. I hope the noble Earl will convey the sympathy of your Lordships' House to the unfortunate victims of this cowardly crime.