Deterring "Smash and Grabs"

Barbara Hurst, BOL Guru
Guru BIOS


Automated Teller Machine manufacturers and deployers are getting more aggressive in combating the ever-increasing crime of using physical force to pull a machine out of its location and cart it off, hoping to gain access to what's inside. In most cases, the thieves gear their efforts to retailers who have smaller, less heavy machines usually located inside the store. The criminals often drive cars into the stores at night, put a chain on the machines and cart them off, gaining access to cash by smashing the machine and ruining it.

In Great Britain, the company Travelex is experimenting with installing Global Positioning System technology to track machines that are stolen. The machines are equipped with devices that allow banks or law enforcement to use the satellite technology to find the location of the machine. Meanwhile, DASH ATM enclosures recently launched a new through-the-door enclosure that will allow ATM owners to place the machines outside retail and other locations on an exterior wall. The unit is accessed for service and maintenance through its front.

It discourages smash and grab because it's built like a vault - weighing 1,400 pounds - instead of a lighter weight, small, standalone kiosk.

Copyright © 2004 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 14, No. 4, 7/05