Around 60 times: record number of ATM explosions

Crime - Around 60 times: record number of ATM explosions

The number of ATM blasts in Hesse has reached a new high in 2023. According to the Hessian Ministry of the Interior, there were 60 attacks up to December 28. So far, this is four more attacks than in 2021, when there were 56 attacks. In 2022, there were 19 fewer attacks than this year. According to the ministry, the damage in 2023 amounted to around 15 million euros. The damage to property accounts for more than the stolen money: a good 4.7 million euros were stolen and property damage amounted to around 10.3 million euros. The series continued after the deadline. It was only on Friday morning that unknown persons blew up an ATM in Groß-Umstadt (Darmstadt-Dieburg district).

"In 40 cases, the ATM was blown up and cash was stolen," explained the ministry, not including the most recent case. In nine cases, there was only an attempt to detonate the machine, and in a further eleven cases, the perpetrators were unable to steal any cash despite detonating the machine. "In the same period in 2022, there were a total of 22 crimes in which cash was taken." The Hessian police reportedly arrested 15 suspects in 2023.

"Bank robbery 2.0" is committed by unscrupulous, organized perpetrators who do not shy away from injuring or even killing uninvolved third parties," said Interior Minister Peter Beuth (CDU). The ruthlessness of the perpetrators is also demonstrated by the fact that they accept high levels of damage and risk.

"The danger posed by the unscrupulous actions of ATM burglars is not adequately reflected in the current legal situation," criticized Beuth. Hesse is also calling for the federal government to consider tougher penalties that would adequately sanction the dangerous nature of the crime in order to deter potential perpetrators more effectively. "Blasting ATMs must be unattractive and unprofitable. The banks in particular need to work on this," says Beuth.

Banks are gearing up

In cooperation with the police, banks are already equipping themselves extensively and investing a lot of money in prevention. Frankfurter Volksbank Rhein/Main, for example, secures all of its locations. In addition to electronic and physical security measures, it uses dyeing and fogging systems, according to a spokesperson. For some years now, the foyers with the ATMs have been closed at night. "At some locations, we have also replaced self-service pavilions with high-security cells made of reinforced concrete." In total, a low seven-figure sum has been invested in this, said the spokesperson. The two demolitions so far this year have caused damage in the six-figure range.

Volksbank Kassel-Göttingen, which has been affected by three blasts in northern Hesse so far in 2023, is using all approved security instruments such as fogging and dyeing systems as well as video surveillance, a spokesperson explained. Other measures include newer and more secure ATMs and even closing all branches at night, including alarm protection. The bank has also intensified its cooperation with the police.

However, despite all the security measures, the actual threat posed by the blast always remains - even if there is increasingly nothing for the perpetrators to take, the spokesperson emphasized. For this reason, the closure of individual self-service outlets is also an option, albeit a last resort. "Because where there are no ATMs, nothing can be blown up and therefore no danger to life and limb can be ruled out."

VR Bank Hessenland, based in Alsfeld (Vogelsberg district), relies primarily on dye systems and night-time locking. Fortunately, no one has been injured in the three attacks so far this year, a spokeswoman said. It was mainly inventory that was damaged.

There have been four attacks on Frankfurter Sparkasse ATMs so far in 2023. A spokesperson lamented that the perpetrators were also willing to accept that people would be injured. "We are therefore delighted that no one was physically injured in the attacks on our ATMs." All the blasts left behind a picture of devastation. "The collateral damage to the buildings and the inventory exceeded the respective loot many times over. Overall, we are talking about property damage that is currently in the single-digit million range - not including the loot, mind you."

To protect itself, Frankfurter Sparkasse is now also closing all branch locations at night. "In addition, all locations were and have been fully secured 24/7 via a security control center and video surveillance for many years," explained the spokesperson. In 2023, Frankfurter Sparkasse invested heavily in further protective measures. "The self-service devices have been mechanically upgraded and extensively secured. In addition, fogging and coloring technology is now used throughout the branches." The latest investments in this technology alone amounted to a seven-figure euro sum.

Kasseler Sparkasse, which was last affected by a blast in Breuna (Kassel district) in 2022, also relies on coloring systems and night-time closures of self-service zones. The perpetrators' approach has changed over the years, a spokeswoman explained. "While they initially used gas mixtures, solid explosives have been used since 2021."

Offenders increasingly from the Netherlands

"In over 80 percent of ATM blasts, the perpetrators use solid explosives in different compositions," explained a spokesperson for the Hessian State Office of Criminal Investigation (HLKA). This is particularly dangerous if the blown up ATMs are located in a combined residential and commercial building or in the vicinity of residential buildings. "It is often only by chance that no uninvolved passers-by or residents are injured or even killed in these blasts."

The attacks are currently increasingly being carried out by Dutch groups in south-western Germany, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. According to information from the Dutch police, around 1,000 people currently belong to the criminal groups there. "For the perpetrators, the attraction of making a lot of cash in a short space of time is high."