Bank drama as fraud suspect is arrested
SHOPPERS looked on in amazement on Wednesday as police cars with sirens blaring raced to a Peterborough city centre bank.
SHOPPERS looked on in amazement on Wednesday as police cars with sirens blaring raced to a Peterborough city centre bank.The drama began at 3.10pm when police were called to the HSBC bank, in Cathedral Square, after workers raised the alarm.
It is believed a customer had attempted to withdraw a substantial sum of money from the branch, and a police spokeswoman said concern about documents being used led to bank staff dialling 999.
Two police cars raced along Broadway and Long Causeway, causing shoppers and youngsters on their half-term holidays to turn and look.
A number of officers then entered the branch, and headed upstairs away from view.
More than half an hour later, by which time a large crowd of interested shoppers had gathered to see what the commotion was all about, the officers left the branch, leading one man in handcuffs into the back of a police van before speeding off.
Mathew Quarterman, who was in the city centre when the drama began, said: "All I saw were two police cars speeding along Long Causeway, before they came to a stop outside HSBC.
"People had to dodge out of the way of the cars as they was speeding through."
"A few officers then ran inside the bank, but I could not see anything that was going on."
Danny Smith (17), from Stilton, near Peterborough, was in the city centre with his friends at the time, and said there was a lot of confusion about what was going on inside the bank.
He said: "We were just sitting in the centre when, all of a sudden, there was a loud noise outside the bank.
"No one seemed to know what was going on, because the officers went upstairs, but the bank stayed open all afternoon."
Staff at HSBC refused to comment about the situation, other than saying it was not a serious incident and it was business as usual while police were at the branch.
Police said today a 25-year-old man from Peterborough was still in custody at Thorpe Wood police station after being arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation.
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Weather for Peterborough
Thursday 18 March 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C - 8 C
Wind Speed: 14 Knots
Wind direction: North west
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