Police Swoop on Suspected Robbers

8 September 2010, 15:24 | Updated: 8 September 2010, 15:44

Flying Squad officers foiled a robbery today pouncing on two men as they tried to grab money being delivered to an ATM machine.

The robbery was happening as police officers swooped on the pair. In a related incident two cars were involved in a collision moments later.

The drama happened at around 10am on the forecourt of a Shell garage in Breakspear Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts close to Junction 8 of the M1 motorway.
It's believed security guards were delivering cash to an ATM machine on the forecourt when the two robbers struck, trying to grab the money.

Suddenly they were surrounded by Flying Squad officers who had been following them.

Witnesses said the men ended up sitting handcuffed on the ground at the forecourt as policemen photographed them.
There then followed a collision nearby in Maylands Avenue by a set of traffic lights involving two vehicles, a silver Peugeot and a black taxi.
An eye witness said the Peugeot appeared to have been rammed off the road and a  male occupant inside was also arrested

During the lunch hour both vehicles were taken away by police to be examined.

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said officers from the Flying Squad based at Finchley had been involved in the arrests.

She said as a result of the "pro-active intelligence led operation" three men had been arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery.

The arrests she said had taken place at around 10am in Breakspear Way in Hemel Hempstead. The three men she said had been taken to a polioce station in North West London.