The town's branch of Boots Chemists - less than 100 yards away from the abandoned police station - was the subject of a bold ramraid around 3am when a red Seat Leon was driven through the shutters and the front entrance, causing extensive damage.

The thieves made off with a large quantity of after-shave and perfumes, and police say the car is believed to have been stolen from outside a house at Tullysaran Road, Armagh.

Mr Irwin said, "It's no coincidence that these bold ramraids have increased since the rash of police station closures, and while I understand that police can't be sitting in small police stations 24 hours a day, it does seem that an effective alternative has still to be found.

"There are plenty of CCTV cameras in the vicinity, and - at a time when policing and justice is under the microscope - a lot of thinking has to be done as crime seems to be on the increase.

"Only a couple of weeks ago, an elderly man was traumatised in nearby Mowhan and that was a horrible crime."

Local council member Eric Speers said he found the Boots' ramraid difficult to understand.

"It seems a bit of a mystery why they should go to all that trouble for after-shave and perfumes," he added. "Drugs or money I could understand - while not condoning it - but not this sort of merchandise. Still it's a change from ramraiding ATMs."

He added that Markethill had suffered quite a loss with the closure of the police station and called on the police to increase their mobile patrols.

"With all these cut-backs, police services are stretched to the limit," he added. "More investment is needed."

Meanwhile, forensic tests were being carried out on the car which was still inside the premises at noon on Wednesday, with bemused local people taking pictures on their mobiles phones.

A spokesman at Armagh confirmed the station was no longer functional and the site will be sold off.

Police appealed for witnesses who may have seen the stolen car between 8.30-pm on Thursday and Wednesday at 3am.