OUTSIDE the Old Bailey prosecutors vowed to find the missing Securitas millions. They made statements after five men were found guilty of conspiring to rob £53 million from the Securitas depot in Tonbridge in February 2006.

During the raid, depot manager Colin Dixon, his wife Lynn and their young child were kidnapped and held at gunpoint.

Supt Paul Gladstone of Kent Police said after the case: "This has been an extremely complex and complicated investigation which, as you know, has taken two years. The verdicts have been taken today and I am extremely satisfied.

"There is a number of people I would like to pay testament to. It's only fair to Mr and Mrs Dixon. We have been thinking of them over the past seven months and have given them support.

"The other people are my colleagues at the Crown Prosecution Service. They have worked hard on this for the last two years and are still working on it."

Nigel Pilkington of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Although a vast sum of money was stolen it was a crime of violence. People's lives were put at risk. Mr and Mrs Dixon were kidnapped at gunpoint by masked men in disguises. It must have been a terrifying ordeal

"This was an organised crime that took over a year to plan. They took great care to disguise themselves using prosthetic makeup from the film industry.The scale and complexity of this crime meant that we needed

considerable skill to place it before the jury in a clear and intelligent way. We would like to pay tribute to the huge level of dedication of the caseworkers in this case.

"This is not the end of the matter for these criminals. We intend to seize their ill-gotten gains."

Just under £21 million of the stolen money has been recovered by police so far.

After the verdict, Det Sgt Andy Nicoll told the court that 13,000 exhibits had been examined during the investigation, including 300 mobile telephones.

He said 4,000 exhibits were examined forensically, adding that size of the investigation was unprecedented. The inquiry has cost more than £5million.

Det Chief Insp Mick Judd, Kent Police's senior investigating officer, said after the trial: "This is not a victimless crime. The gang was violent and had no regard for the safety of others when they robbed the depot of £53 million.

"The Dixons, their young child, and the Securitas employees went through a horrific ordeal that night. Pure greed has driven these men. This is the end of just one chapter as investigations continue."