Justice Minister not contacted before gardaí deployed to ATMs, department says
Out An Of Branch Village, At Picture: Wire A Service Lawless/pa Bank In Finglas Brian Atm Dublin Of Ireland
The Department of Justice wasn’t contacted in advance of gardaí being deployed to block access to Bank of Ireland ATMs around the country, an official has said.
Questions have been raised as to why members of An Garda Síochána appeared at cash machines following a technical issue with the bank which saw queues forming at some ATMs around the country last night.
It’s understood Justice Minister Helen McEntee was not informed in advance that gardaí would be deployed to some of the banks.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said: “The Garda Commissioner is responsible for operational policing matters under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), which includes the deployment of Garda resources/personnel.
“Neither the Minister, nor the Department have a role in these independent functions.
“The Department is advised that Gardaí were deployed on a case-by-case basis depending on the public safety and public order assessment of local Garda management.”
In some cases, gardaí were directed to go to areas where lines had formed.
Bank of Ireland has said the issue which disrupted its online banking portal 365 online and well as its mobile banking app has been resolved.
Finance Minister Michael McGrath has asked the Central Bank of Ireland to establish a "full account of what happened, why it happened and what will be done to avoid a repeat" of chaotic scenes involving Bank of Ireland ATMs on Tuesday evening.
A technical glitch internally in Bank of Ireland allowed thousands of people to withdraw money they did not have in their accounts on Tuesday, leading to queues at ATMs around Ireland.
Large queues formed at ATMs around the country as customers of the bank rushed to exploit a computer glitch which had reportedly allowed them to withdraw up to €1,000 — even if they didn't have that amount in their account.
Gardaí were involved at one stage, with pictures and videos showing officers blocking access to ATMs around the country.
In a statement, Mr McGrath said: "My officials have been in contact with the Central Bank of Ireland and Bank of Ireland today.
"Given our growing dependence on technology for the delivery of financial services, I have asked my officials to engage with the Central Bank on its assessment of the robustness of this Bank of Ireland incident, and more broadly the robustness of the technology systems used by regulated, customer-facing financial service providers here in Ireland, and whether any further steps are required to reduce the risk of outages that impact on customers."
"Disruption to banking services can have a significant effect on people’s personal lives and on the running of businesses. Customers rightly have an expectation of a high quality of service and to be able to have uninterrupted access to services.”
On Wednesday morning, BOI confirmed the issue had been resolved.
A spokesperson said: "Yesterday a technical issue impacted a number of Bank of Ireland’s services. Our teams restored these services overnight and all services are available to customers this morning. Overnight payments to accounts may appear throughout the day.
"We are aware that the technical issue meant some customers were able to withdraw or transfer funds above their normal limits.
"We sincerely apologise for the disruption this outage caused – we know we fell far below the standards our customers expect from us."
An Garda Síochána said it was aware of an “unusual volume of activity” at some ATMs across the country.
It said it was also aware of issues relating to banking services on Tuesday.
Irish police monitor a queue after Bank of Ireland IT blunder allows customers who have no money get access to up to €1,000 in cash at ATMs pic.twitter.com/5HyORPcNTL
— John R (@J1Rooney) August 15, 2023
Bank of Ireland has warned customers that money withdrawn from their accounts while its online and app services were down will still be debited from their accounts.
In a statement, a Bank of Ireland spokesman said: “We would like to remind customers that if they transfer or withdraw funds – including over their normal limits – this money will be debited from their account.
“While we are conscious customers may not be able to check their balance at this time, they should not withdraw or transfer funds if they are likely to become overdrawn.“
A spokesperson for the Central Bank of Ireland said: "We are engaging with Bank of Ireland to ensure that any issues and errors identified are resolved for customers’, and that it is doing all it can to ensure customers expectation of a high quality, uninterrupted service is met".
An Garda Síochána also said it would “remind people of their personal responsibility in carrying out their personal banking”.
Many questioned their usage at the ATMs and the speed at which it occurred.
Every Garda across the country jumping in front of a BOI ATM like Clint Eastwood in In The Line of Fire
— 🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 (@maybe_sum01) August 15, 2023
Sadly the full ten million Garda Overtime budget for Dublin has been spent guarding Bank Of Ireland ATMS
— Ken Lydo (@betdaqsports) August 16, 2023