ATM Ram Raids: A Rising Trend

According to a report by ATM Operator Cardtronics, there has been a substantial increase in people aiming to steal money from ATM machines, by driving a vehicle directly into them.

A Rising Trend

In 2014, the UK saw 400 attacks on UK cash machines by people attempting to ram raid them. However, during 2017, this increased significantly to 723 ATM ram raids.

The report identifies that rural communities with limited access to banks tend to be the primary target with one in four attacks being committed in locations where there is only one bank branch, or none. This causes a concern for local communities who already struggle getting access to money, as ATM machines can take months to reopen or can often result in the ATM machine not being replaced, due to concern that the cash point may be targeted again.

It isn’t the success rate that encourages people to carry out ram raids, as according to Cardtronics, only 41% of cases result in money being stolen. However, according to Huffington Post, the rise in attacks could be down to a shorter prison sentence. By ram raiding an ATM cash point and stealing it, this is classed as theft and not robbery. This means you are more likely to get a smaller punishment than if you were to walk in a bank and threaten staff members to give you money.

It isn’t just ATMs that are at risk of these attacks. Last year, the Louis Vuitton store in Leeds was subject to ram raids, with two attacks happening over a period of three weeks.

The report from Cardtronics suggests that we must do more in order to lessen these types of attacks from happening – but how?

Aiming to prevent Ram Raids

In order to help put a stop to ATM ram raids, physical security products should be considered. While there may be the initial investment to consider, by mitigating such attacks, communities will not only have access to a vital resource but the financial loss and impact on insurance claims will also be lessened.

Having crash tested bollards in place can act as a deterrent. This means that the products will have been crash tested to a certain standard (for example, PAS68 or IWA) to stop a vehicle travelling at a particular speed.  There are many products on the market, including surface and shallow mount bollards such as Heald’s Fixed Matador bollards. The Fixed Matador only requires a foundation depth of 110 mm and is PAS68 tested.

 

To discuss how Heald can help protect your property, contact us today.

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