crime
Number of ATM demolitions down slightly
View of a bank branch in Oberursel after an ATM was blown up. Photo: Police Wiesbaden/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Fewer ATMs in Germany were blown up last year than before. Where are the declining numbers coming from?
In 2021, the police in Germany registered slightly fewer ATM demolitions than a year earlier. The investigators assume that this is due to corona-related curfews, as the Federal Criminal Police Office announced on Friday in Wiesbaden.
The number of attempted and completed cases fell by a good five percent to 392 acts. “Solid explosives are repeatedly used, which cause considerable damage and endanger residents in the vicinity of the blasted machines,” explained the BKA.
In connection with the ATM blasts, the police identified a total of 124 suspects in 2021 (2020: 168), more than half of whom are Dutch nationals. Despite the lower number of cases, the total amount stolen increased by 14 percent compared to the previous year to 19.5 million euros. This has to do with the fact that the perpetrators often stole cash during the blasts, as the BKA explained.
However, in many cases the damage to property far exceeded the amount of the loot. “That’s because the perpetrators are increasingly using solid explosives,” the experts said. The uncontrolled distribution of debris and splinters after such attacks represents a significant danger to life and limb.