4:48pm Tuesday 28th January 2003
By Wanstead and Woodford Guardian
POLICE are still appealing for witnesses after two banks were targeted by gun-toting crooks in Wanstead and Woodford Green.
In the first incident on Friday, January 17, three men wearing balaclavas and black clothing held up staff in a Securicor van parked outside Barclays Bank, at the junction of High Street, Wanstead and Grosvenor Road.
The first of the trio threatened the security guard with a hand gun and dragged him to the back of the van while one of his accomplices forced another security guard inside the van to release the cash from the rear.
They escaped with envelopes which did not contain any valuables and are believed to have driven off in a red VW Passat, registration T609 RWN, which was later found abandoned in Reydon Avenue.
All of the robbers were white men and the gunman, who was around 5ft 7ins tall, was wearing black trousers, a black top and black balaclava.
The second was dressed in a similar way while the third of the gang, who was aged around 20, had brown hair.
In a separate incident the following day (January 18) a man walked into the Woolwich Building Society in Snakes Lane East, Woodford Green at around 10.30am and threatened staff with a gun.
An Ilford police spokeswoman said: "He produced a handgun and placed a carrier bag on the counter and made a demand for money.
"Fortunately the staff behind the counter had the presence of mind to drop to the floor and hide. He just left empty-handed and made off towards Woodford Tube station." The Woolwich would-be robber was described as a 29-year-old Asian man, around 5ft 8ins tall, with stubbly growth on his chin and was wearing a black baseball cap, black bomber jacket, a black scarf pulled over his face and black jeans.
If you saw anything or have any information about either of the two incidents, contact DS Paul Phillips at Ilford CID on 8345 2631.
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