Related Articles
A village post office where staff were subjected to a terrifying raid by hammer-wielding robbers is to close for good.
Monk Fryston Post Office and Village Stores near Selby was robbed at 4.40pm on Monday 19 February.
Police described how suspects thought to be armed with hammers threatened staff and stole cash.
Now the couple who run the business, Karen and Adrian Bullock, have decided to close the post office counter on safety grounds.
They will run the village stores as usual, but the post office will shut on Friday June 7.
In a statement they said: “You may be aware of the shocking incident on Monday 19 February where we were the victims of a violent armed robbery, resulting in a Royal Mail employee being injured, our staff and ourselves being subjected to extreme threatening behaviour and the business suffering significant financial losses.
“We were extremely lucky that no one else was injured or even killed. Had circumstances been different, then the outcome could have been far worse.
“We are thankful to the police, who have been fantastic, efficient and supportive.
“After close consultation with the Post Office, the local MP and the police, it has been identified that societal changes such as the closure of local banks and 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.”
To improve security to the necessary level to protect staff, substantial changes would be required, Karen and Adrian said. But the limited shop floor space meant that wasn’t a viable option.
They went on: “Whilst we are always here to support our local community, the safety of our staff, customers and family is paramount.
“With this in mind we have been forced to take the difficult decision to close the post office side of the business.
“We hope everyone can understand and support our decision, which has not been taken lightly, and that we can count on your continued to support at your local shop.”
North Yorkshire Police investigating the robbery arrested a man in his 30s in Nottinghamshire last month. He was released with no further action following questioning.
A force spokesperson said today: “A man aged in his 40s has been released on police bail as enquiries continue.”
Source link
