Post offices are easy target for criminal gangs after bank branch closures, postmistress warns after terrifying armed robbery forces her to close
- Three men wielding hammers pushed staff to the ground during the raid
The mass closure of bank branches has turned local post offices into 'easy targets for criminal gangs,' a postmistress warned today.
Fewer rural bank branches and cash point machines have meant more cash is being handled at village post offices that lack sufficient security measures.
The warning comes from Karen Bullock who runs the village shop and post office at Monk Fryston, North Yorkshire, with her husband Adrian.
The post office inside the shop is set to close following a terrifying armed robbery last month.
Three men wielding hammers pushed staff to the ground during the raid which left a postman requiring hospital treatment for an arm injury. The gang escaped with around £2,000 in cash.
The warning comes from Karen Bullock who runs the village shop and post office (pictured) at Monk Fryston, North Yorkshire, with her husband Adrian
Announcing the closure, Mrs Bullock said: 'After close consultation with the Post Office, our local MP and the police, it has been identified that societal changes such as the closure of local banks and removal of ATMs have resulted in increasingly large sums of cash being handled at post offices.
'The result of this is that local post offices have become easy targets for criminal gangs.
'In order to ensure the safety of our staff, significant changes would be required to the shop layout. This is not a viable option.
'With this and our safety in mind, we have taken the difficult decision to close the Post Office side of the business, effective from June 7.
'We hope everyone can understand and support our decision, which has not been taken lightly, and that we can count on your continued support at your local shop.'
Describing the 'shocking violent armed robbery' on 19 February, she said the owners and staff 'were subjected to extreme threatening behaviour and the business suffering significant financial losses.'
She said: 'We were extremely lucky that nobody was killed.' Adding: 'We are thankful to the police, who have been efficient and supportive.'
The raid took place at 4.40pm and police gave descriptions of three suspects, one with an Irish accent.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said a man in his 40s was arrested in connection with the raid but has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
The former farmhouse has been a shop for over a century, and the Bullocks also own guest accommodation nearby. They also have their own homemade food business and will continue to sell their products from the village store.
The couple's local Labour MP Keir Mather has backed their appeal for improved security at post office branches in the wake of bank closures.
The former farmhouse has been a shop for over a century, and the Bullocks also own guest accommodation nearby. They also have their own homemade food business and will continue to sell their products from the village store
He said: 'I was deeply saddened to hear the Post Office in Monk Fryston is closing. When I went to meet Karen and Adrian, it was obvious that they and their team and had been through hell.
'They're a pillar of the local community in the village and I'd like to thank them for everything they've done.
'Post Offices are not banks, but bank branch closures mean that they increasingly hold cash deposits which put them at serious risk of crime.
'Having raised this with the Post Office and Government Ministers, I am clear that rural post offices like ours need more security measures and better support for owners and staff when these dreadful incidents do occur.'
The number of bank branches in operation in the UK fell from 14,689 in 1986 to 5,745 in 2023.
After peaking in 2015 the number of ATMs in the UK fell by 16,516 or 25 per cent between 2018 and 2023.
