2022 was a record year. Almost 500 ATMs were blown up across Germany. More than in any previous year. In order to be better protected against such thefts in the future, savings banks and Volksbanks want to equip their machines with new technology.
In the fight against automatic sprinklers, German banks are using different approaches. Additional cameras are installed, special security forces are hired and individual locations are completely closed overnight. However, the success of these measures is limited. In the current year alone, there have been more than 100 incidents.
Therefore, the use of a new technology is now in the room. A bonding technique from the Dutch manufacturer Mactwin is to be used. In the event of an explosion, a mechanism inside the machine is to be triggered, gluing the stored banknotes together into a large lump. For the thieves, their booty would be worthless and theft would be unattractive.
In the Netherlands, this technique is already being used and seen as a success. Since it was introduced, the number of blasts in our neighboring country has fallen sharply. Including installation, the system should cost between 5,000 and 7,000 euros per ATM.
“Of course, the savings banks will use the bonding technology as soon as possible at the locations where it makes sense,” Joachim Schmalzl, board member of the German Savings Banks and Giro Association (DSGV), told the Handelsblatt. However, he does not see the technology as a panacea. You won’t be able to deter the perpetrators completely. Schmalzl fears that they might react with even more aggressive methods.
Source: Handelsblatt