Police shoot at bank robbers' car

The robbers escaped from the bank with a substantial amount of cash

A police officer has fired shots at the getaway car of a gang of bank robbers after one of them pointed a gun at him.

Police said the car sped off from Market Street, in Droylsden, Greater Manchester. It is not known whether the robbers were hurt in the shooting.

Customers and staff at two banks were threatened in robberies, which happened at about 1650 GMT on Friday.

Police said the gang had escaped with a large amount of cash from the Cheshire Building Society and Halifax bank.

A member of the public told an armed police officer, who was on routine patrol in the area, about the robbery and he approached the getaway vehicle.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said the officer was threatened by one of the robbers with a shotgun and fired "a number of shots at the car in response".

These are the sort of men we want to capture as soon as possible and put behind bars Supt Chris Sykes

Supt Chris Sykes said: "These are highly unusual incidents. This seemed like a well-planned attack on the premises."

The gang left in a silver Honda Civic, with false registration plates.

Police said the car, stolen from Droylsden a week ago, was later found about two miles away with gunshot damage.

"The car was abandoned and we haven't found any offenders, so we don't know at this stage what's happened," Mr Sykes added.

"These are the sort of men we want to capture as soon as possible and put behind bars."

Extra patrols

Officers have already spoken to a number of witnesses in the area and are examining CCTV footage of the robberies.

The members of the gang were all men, believed to be in their 20s, wearing balaclavas and dark clothing.

Extra patrols have been mounted in the area to reassure members of the community.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it had informed the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) as a matter of procedure.

Anyone who was in the area at the time of the robberies is urged to contact police.

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