A photographer on Miller Street said the side of the building was blown out and it was the most powerful ATM blast he had seen. Witnesses told police that a few men were running south on Berry Street after the explosion and left in a late-model red Holden HSV sedan that had a loud exhaust and rear spoiler. Detectives from Harbourside Local Area Command, Strike Force Piccadilly II and the Police Rescue Squad were investigating the robbery. Miller Street was closed to traffic and pedestrians walking between Berry Street and the Pacific Highway, and some buses, were diverted. The street has now been opened. Police advised anyone who sees a suspicious-looking red Holden HSV sedan not to approach it, but to phone triple-0.

Anyone with information is asked to phone Harbourside Local Area Command or Strike Force Piccadilly II detectives via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The blast follows a string of gas attacks on ATMs in NSW and other states over the past few months. Two days ago, two Westpac ATMs were attacked at a shopping complex in Erina. A week ago, bandits struck a National Australia Bank in Lane Cove. No money was taken in either explosion and no one was injured.

On February 11, a bank and buildings around it were seriously damaged after an ATM blast at a shopping centre on Mona Vale Road, St Ives. On February 4, masked bandits escaped with cash after an ATM was blown up in Military Road in Neutral Bay. There were 25 ATM blasts in NSW last year, in which millions of dollars were stolen, police said. But they said most of the explosions were unsuccessful. On February 20, detectives from the taskforce arrested two men outside a bank on The Boulevarde at Punchbowl in Sydney's south-west about 3.30am. They seized a BMW they suspected was stolen, and gas cylinders. But a third man evaded the arrests and was seen running through Punchbowl train station a short time later.

The gas attacks involve feeding gas into ATMs, usually using gas cylinders. The method, called "plofkraak", was devised in the Netherlands, and has migrated across continents to Australia.

The Australian Banking Association said banks were considering installing dye packs and gas detection systems in ATMs in a bid to thwart the attacks. ATM manufacturer NCR said such ink-staining technologies would render the cash useless and help catch the bandits. "The rationale behind the ink-staining solution is that, with enough time and determination and the right tools, every security measure and safe can eventually be breached," Phil Chant of NCR, the world's leading ATM manufacturer, said. "So our approach is, if you are going to get inside the safe, then we will render the cash worthless by the time you get it.

"That has proven successful in relation to ram-raids and we now make that ink-staining solution linked to gas detection technology." Strike Force Piccadilly II, which investigated the ATM ram-raid attacks a few years ago, was reformed to investigate the explosions, with rewards of up to $150,000 for information leading to a conviction. Loading Detective Inspector Greg Antonjuk from the taskforce said public safety was its No.1 concern. "The recent ATM attacks have the potential to be dangerous to both passers-by, as well as to offenders," he said in a statement.

