Sir, - I am surprised at the call for cash in transit vans to have armed Garda escorts. One would expect that it would be the responsibility of the companies offering these services to ensure that they can carry the cash safely. I find it a bizarre idea that gardai should be asked to put their lives at considerable risk to protect money which someone else is being paid to deliver.
There are electronic systems available which can be installed in armoured vehicles which can be far more effective than armed escorts in combating this type of crime. The banks, as the ultimate beneficiaries, should pay the costs of these. Some politicians have been calling for the banks to pay a commercial price for the cost of providing armed escorts. How will they put a price on a life when a member of the Garda Siochana is killed protecting money? - Yours, etc., Terry Murphy,
Security Systems Consultants Ltd, Templeview Park, Dublin 13.