A post officer worker told yesterday of being held hostage by armed raiders in the living quarters above a post office in Co Longford.
Pat McCormack was one of six people taken hostage by three masked men who escaped with an undisclosed sum of cash after a hold-up in Ballymahon, Co Longford.
The raid is the latest in a series of violent crimes in the midlands and has prompted a local county councillor to call on Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to "put the army on the streets" to help over-stretched gardaí.
The ordeal began shortly after 2am yesterday, when the three men broke into Ballymahon post office and made their way upstairs to the living quarters of the Dillon family, who run the post office.
They were armed with bats and an iron bar, but had no guns.
"They went into the bedroom of Ann-Marie, the 17-year-old daughter of John and June Dillon, and told her to get out of her bed. They then went to the parents' bedroom and roused them, before taking them all to another room where they held them hostage," said a Garda spokesman.
The men wanted the Dillons to open the safe, but were told it was on a time lock and would not open until morning time.
The family were treated well, according to the Garda spokesman, and were given water during the night.
Postmen Pat McCormack and Paudge Mangan then arrived for work at 7am and were also taken hostage.
"I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. June Dillon opened the door as usual," said Mr McCormack.
"When we went in the door a fellow came up behind me and poked me with a bat and told us to keep going. I thought at first someone was acting the eejit, but then I saw more fellows and knew it was serious.
"They took the mobile phones and wallets from us. It was a huge shock. We were put into a bedroom. The men all wore balaclavas and I couldn't make out their accents."
A third postal worker - Terry Comiskey - arrived just before 8am and was also taken hostage.
"When the safe opened just after 8am, they took the money and left the premises," said Mr McCormack. The alarm was raised shortly afterwards.
Gardaí believe the men may have been a midlands gang and are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in Ballymahon through the night. A post office van was left with its doors open on the street during the later stages of the raid and gardaí believe this will have attracted the attention of passers-by.
Longford County Councillor Paddy Belton (FG) said: "It is time the Army were used to restore law and order. There aren't enough gardaí on the streets. The Garda station in Ballymahon is only part-time, even though the population is almost 2,000, with plans for 600 more houses."
In recent months, there have been a number of similar raids with business people being held hostage, including the proprietors of Paddy Ryan's in Horseleap and Kilmartin's N6 Centre, Athlone, both in Co Westmeath.