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CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
THE VALUE OF CASH ON THE UK HIGH STREET
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: ATM attacks affecting the local community
The rapid increase in attacks on ATMs across the UK is cause for major concern. This report shows that these
attacks are not victimless crimes. In fact, they have a widespread disastrous impact to communities up and down
the country. Over the past four years, the frequency of attacks has risen by an average of 22% each year, with
attacks increasingly moving from urban centres to rural areas. Additionally, financially excluded areas are some of
the worst affected: one in four attacks occur in communities that have only one or no bank branch in their vicinity.
The rise in ATM attacks is even more significant when viewed alongside the fact that ATMs are heavily relied upon
by local communities. Local people including some of our society’s most vulnerable use their local ATM regularly
and the cash dispensed to them makes a significant contribution to takings of local shops and high streets and
keeping the local economy running. It is worth noting that cash machines are responsible for putting £1.6billion
into the cash registers of shops and stores in their immediate surroundings annually.
ATM crime causes significant damage to local communities. One of this report’s key findings is that as much
as £110 million of direct community spend has been put at risk in the last 12 months because of ATM attacks.
Altogether, ATM attacks have cost communities a total of £100 million over the past year. Around 20 million Brits
say they would leave their local community and spend their money elsewhere if their local ATM was not available
anymore, these facts demonstrate that the potential impact to local economies is disastrous and goes way
beyond the immediate damage created by an ATM attack.
This report has been compiled to highlight the current impact of these attacks and demonstrate that unless
policy makers and police forces act now, the future impacts will be even worse. Our forecast shows that, ATM
attacks could have more than triple between 2016 and 2025 unless action is taking to reverse the trend.
This is why we have developed our five-point manifesto to crush cash crime. Our manifesto calls for:
1. Zero tolerance policy of ATM crime.
2. Harsher penalties for ATM criminals.
3. All ATM attacks treated as ‘serious crime’.
4. Mandatory surveillance equipment to evidence cash machine crime.
5. More vigilance in local communities.
Cardtronics will continue to campaign in the coming months to sign up government and civil society groups to
its five-point plan, because an attack on a local ATM is not a victimless crime - it is an attack on the
entire community.
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CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
THE VALUE OF CASH ON THE UK HIGH STREET
CONTENTS
Introduction: page 4
Chapter 1: From niche issue to national problem page 5
Chapter 2: The significance of ATMs for local communities page 10
Chapter 3: The impact of ATM attacks on local communities page 14
in 2017
Chapter 4: Predicting the damage of ATM attacks to local page 20
communities in the coming years
Statement: Sarah Staff, Head of SaferCash page 21
Manifesto: A five-point plan to crush ATM crime page 22
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CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
INTRODUCTION well as the increasingly reckless methods criminals
are using to target cash machines. The significance
ATMs are an essential part of the UK economy, in of ATMs for UK citizens is established, highlighting
both city centres and rural communities. Up and their role in supporting local businesses and the local
down the country, businesses and residents rely on communities they serve.
cash for everyday purchases, with ATMs underpinning
the health of the local economy. With this clear link, the report reveals the financial
consequences of cash machine crime, quantifying
Worryingly, the number of ATM attacks in the UK is the damage to businesses targeted by ATM attackers,
rising dramatically, and this is causing significant as well as the harm they pose to the wider economy.
damage to local communities and the health of the
high street. Attempts to ram raid, dismantle and blow Based on the current rate of attacks, more local
up cash machines are not only harming the buildings communities are falling victim to the disruption
in which the ATMs are located and putting shop that this criminal activity brings. The report also
owners out of action and out of pocket, but these offers a forecast for the impact this could have in
ATM attacks are also damaging the wider community coming years if the growth remains unchecked.
and its economy. As such, attacks on cash machines Our study concludes that ATM crime must be taken
have a serious and detrimental impact on the lives of more seriously, and suggests a five-point plan to
a large number of ordinary citizens. reverse the upward trend in these dangerous and
damaging offences.
This report outlines the current state of cash machine
attacks in the UK, describing the steep recent rise, as
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CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
CHAPTER 1: FROM NICHE ISSUE TO NATIONAL PROBLEM
ATM ATTACKS ARE ON THE RISE
This study draws its analysis from the most extensive database in the UK on ATM attacks. The source material,
put together by UK Finance, details on historical attack data provided by ATM providers, which makes it the most
comprehensive data source available. Our analysis of this data shows that ATM attacks have turned into an ever-
larger issue over the past years, with a worrying acceleration in the last 36 months. Over the last four years, the
number of attacks has increased by an average of 22% per year. In the 12 months from 2016 to 2017, this number
rose to 35% – the fastest growth rate on record. In absolute terms, the 400 attacks in 2014 grew to 722 in 2017.
Attack numbers
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2014 2015 2016 2017
ATM ATTACKS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM THE BIG CITIES,
WITH RURAL ATTACKS INCREASING BY OVER 60% IN 2017
When looking at the numbers in more detail, we can see how ATM attacks have become increasingly harmful for
Proportion
rural areas. By of attacks
working with information in areas
technology with
agency CACI weno
havebank branches
been able to categorise postcodes
as either urban or rural. An area is counted as urban if the majority of the population falls inside an area with a
30%
population of 10,000 or more. In 2013, 69% of all ATM attacks were carried out in predominantly urban areas,
but the the criminal practise has increasingly moved into rural areas. The total number of attacks in rural areas
25%
increased by 21.5% per year on average, and in 2017, the year with a particularly drastic spike in attacks, the attack
rate increased by to 61.8%. While 31% of all ATM attacks were carried out in rural areas in 2013, this number has
20%
risen to 42% in 2018. If this trend continues, half of all ATM attacks will be committed in rural areas by 2020.
6
Poorest to be worst hit by a cashless society, warns Which? (October 2018)
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/10/poorest-to-be-worst-hit-by-a-cashless-society-warns-which/
15%Data source in this subsection copyright 2018 CACI Ltd
10% PAGE 5
CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
Attack numbers
ATM800attacks have a much larger effect on rural areas than on urban districts. Residents in small villages often
rely on only one ATM and local shop for their day-to-day needs. An ATM attack in this environment could deprive
local700
residents of their only access to cash – which has a particularly severe effect on the viability of the small
businesses in the area. Whilst the effect is similar in urban areas for certain segments of society, many people
are 600
able to access cash by using a different ATM often within walking distance.
We see a similar picture when looking at ATM attacks in areas with very little access to bank branches.
500 1
Latest numbers from the ONS show that 13 million adults live in areas in the UK where at least half of the local
banks and building societies have closed since 2010.
400
300
“One in four ATM attacks are carried out in communities
without
200 a bank branch”
The 100
number of ATM attacks in areas that have little access to banking facilities has increased. In 2013, 10% of
attacks were carried out in areas without a local branch. In 2018 this ratio has grown to one in four. Over 40% of
attacks0in the first half of 2018 were carried out in areas where there was a maximum of one bank branch open for
customers. This shows 2014how much of a problem2015
ATM attacks are for both2016 2017parts of
rural and financially-excluded
the UK. ATM attacks are not unique to the UK.
Proportion of attacks in areas with no bank branches
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
PAGE 6
CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
ATM ATTACKS IN EUROPE
%) UK accounted for 20%
es of all ATM attacks in Europe.
EUROPE (80%)
K UK
%) (20%)
These crimes are carried out across Europe but the UK suffers more than any other country. Data collected
by EAST, the European Association for Secure Transactions, from 20 European countries, representing 439m
2
citizens shows that in 2017 and 2018, 1 in 5 of all ATM attacks in Europe were in
the UK.
ATM ATTACK VECTORS
Criminals are using a range of different methods to break into ATMs to gain access to the cash inside.
Attackers are using tools such as angle grinders and saws to dismantle cash machines and access banknotes.
However, some criminals are resorting to more violent
methods, including ram raids, where a vehicle is driven at
speed into the ATM. Others are taking much greater risks by
injecting volatile substances into the ATM and igniting them –
with the resulting explosion intended to break the ATM apart.
Explosive attacks using flammable gases and liquids are
particularly destructive, producing severe damage to stores
and nearby property, as well as risking lives. The perpetrators
of these attacks have no way of controlling the scale of the
explosion. Recent reports from Europe reveal attackers being
3
killed in their attempts to blow up machines in this way .
During a trial at Bristol Crown Court in March 2018, a judge
ruled that the explosive destruction of a free-standing
cashpoint in the city could have severely injured passers-by.
Photo by kind permission of Staines Fire Station
PAGE 7
CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
And in Scotland, a thief was left fighting for his life after a failed attempt at blowing up a cash machine
5
in Clydebank.
Gas explosions and ram-raids are some of the most destructive attacks, leaving behind devastating damage to
the site and the surrounding areas. When analysing the ATM database, we classified ram-raids, gas explosions
and other attempts to remove an ATM with force as dangerous. In 2017, almost half (47%) of all attacks can be
counted as “dangerous”, meaning that criminals were more than happy to cause devastating damage in their
attempt to break into the machine. Markedly, the number of dangerous attacks has grown strongly over
the past four years. While in 2014, there was an estimated 129 ‘dangerous’ attacks, this number almost tripled
to 342 in 2017. In fact, the growth in dangerous attacks is by far outstripping the overall increase in ATM attack
numbers as the graph below illustrates:
800 Total attacks 50%
723
700 ‘Dangerous' attacks 47%
600
535
43% 43%
500 452 Proportion of
400 40%
400
dangerous
attacks
342
300
228
200 195
129
100 30%
2014 2015 2016 2017
32% 43%
More often than not, these attacks are
60% of ATM attacks unsuccessful; only two out of five (41%) attacks
in 2017 resulted in the theft of the ATM’s cash
result in no cash contents. Whilst it is gratifying to see the success
being stolen of ATM security, the ineptitude of the criminal
gangs brings significant risk of uncontrolled,
extensive damage, Our industry data shows that in 2018 almost 70% of gas attacks on ATMs took place on petrol
station forecourts – clearly, the causing explosions in this environment are extremely dangerous, bringing the risk
of wider and much more serious consequences.
PAGE 8
CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
POLICE S
T
ATM crime ATEMENT
has a huge
in the confi financial im
dence of th pact on bus
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public is als a t work in th , of course,
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rt of a com crime has th l
element of munity, by e potential
our bankin re m o ving access to rip
members o g infrastruc to this fund
f that comm ture and wit amental
unity to pay h it, th e ability for
It can leave for items o
certain me r services in
mbers of th cash.
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ity particula
The recent rly vulnerab
growth in A le.
criminality TM attacks
away from is partly due to
robberies. C traditional a shift in org
riminal gan fo rm s of bank o anised
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committing n tly far more n sit
ATM offenc interested
es. in
There has b
een a mass
London tha ive reductio
nks to the h n in ATM ga
ard work an s explosion
in the Flyin d investigativ s across
g Squad. W e sk
however th e a re still seein ills of officers
e infrastruc g ATM rip-o
tu re a n ut offences
streets ma d the numb ,
kes it very d er of police
to operate ifficult for A on the
within Lond TM rip-out
on. As a co offenders
this crime is n sequence,
being push m uch of
ed out into
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.
The full imp
act of ATM
There are lo crime cann
cal people ot be unde
in isolated restimated
who are wit c ommunities .
hout cash a in the
ATM crime s a direct cons U K
. equence of
DCI Nick B
lackburn
Metropoli
tan Police
, Flying Sq
uad
1
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45641217
2
The data is collected from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
3
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/teen-dies-after-blowing-up-13454900
4
Bristol Post: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/cctv-reveals-moment-atm-raider-1390942;
5
The Mirror: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/thief-fights-life-aftter-blowing-11843804
PAGE 9
CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
CHAPTER 2: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ATMS FOR
LOCAL COMMUNITIES
ATMS ARE THE LIFELINE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES
In order to qualify and quantify the impact that the loss of an ATM has on the general public, we conducted a
consumer survey on the importance of cash machines to local communities. We surveyed 2,027 UK adults in
September 2018 and asked about the way they use their local cash machine, when and how they spend cash in
their communities and how they would change their behaviour if they were to lose their local access to cash.
Cash from local ATMs is crucial
in supporting local economies,
bearing in mind that nearly half Brits spend £5.9bn every
of consumers spend money in
their local community at least
month in their
once per week. local communities
Consequently, access to a steady supply of cash from ATMs supports retailers and SMEs within the vicinity,
ensuring regular footfall and driving customer loyalty. With such a significant amount of local cash staying in the
area, a large amount of intake for small businesses depends on having a local ATM in the vicinity of their shop.
In rural areas, half of
consumers rely on an ATM in
their local community for a
cash withdrawal at least once Every month local cash
per week. In the context of
falling ATM numbers owing machines put £1.6bn into
to bank branch closures and
funding cuts, cash machine
shops and stores in their
crime exacerbates the immediate surroundings.
difficulties faced by local
residents in gaining convenient
access to their money.
NEED-TO-KNOW: local
community spend and
ATM usage
NEED-TO-KNOW: UK
PAGE 10CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
Spending Habits
• 33.6 million Brits spend money in their local community at least once a week
• 22.7 million Brits use a cash machine in their local community at least once a week
• Only 7% of consumers say they never use an ATM in their local community
• On average, consumers take out £19.52 when they use a local ATM
• Brits spend on average £11.58 per visit in their local communities
ATMS SERVE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES ACROSS THE ENTIRE UK
Cash machines serve all age groups, supplying them with money to spend in their local communities. Almost
half of UK consumers use an ATM in their immediate local community at least once a week, making withdrawing
cash a regular occurrence in their daily lives. Over a third (37%) of consumers spend more than half of the money
withdrawn from ATMs in shops in the vicinity. Our research found that middle-aged and elderly citizens are the
most frequent visitors to shops within their local communities: 77% of 55-65 year-olds and 80% of those aged 66
and over shop locally at least weekly. Accordingly, any disruption to the supply of cash in local communities – as a
result of ATM attacks – has a disproportionate impact on older residents.
PAGE 11CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
In addition to the elderly population, the digital-savvy “Generation Z” (18-24 year-olds) especially relies on cash
for budgeting purposes. Our findings show that nearly four in ten consumers within this age group use an ATM in
their local community at least once per week.
NEED-TO-KNOW: ATM and local community spend across the UK
• 52% of residents in urban areas use ATMs in their local community
• 43% of residents in rural areas use ATMs in their local community
• Only 5% of UK residents spend none of the money withdrawn from an ATM in the local community
At the moment, residents in urban areas are more likely to use their ATM at least weekly than in rural areas.
This implies that the closure of bank branches and the reduction of the ATM network is making citizens in
rural areas struggle to find an ATM in their immediate vicinity, with many having to travel into neighbouring
communities to withdraw cash.
According to consumer group Which?, lower-income households are on average more reliant on cash, as they are
less likely to use credit or debit cards for every-day transactions. Which?’s survey suggested that as many as 78%
of consumers among the two lowest household income brackets use cash at least two or three times every week.
Cash in Wimbledon
Businesses across the country are feeling the effects of the reduction of the ATM network. A community in
Wimbledon, an urban area in Greater London, has only got one cash machine left in their neighbourhood.
Due to this, the owner of an antiques shop recently lost out on a £400 sale, as the potential buyer could not
access any cash. A resident in the area has taken their story to the national media and argues that the lack
of access to cash is “embarrassing” for them as a community.
PAGE 12CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
Cash in Glastonbury
In 2016, Glastonbury was set to be left with no banking facilities after the last bank in town left the area.
Cardtronics stepped in and provided two new free to use ATMs. According to our research up to 12 million
Brits said they would shop somewhere other than their local high street if they were not able to withdraw
money. This explains why shop owners were extremely relieved by the installation of the new cash machines.
Locals were also reassured, saying that cash machines are a vital amenity required in their town.
6
Poorest to be worst hit by a cashless society, warns Which? (October 2018)
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/10/poorest-to-be-worst-hit-by-a-cashless-society-warns-which/
Data source in this subsection copyright 2018 CACI Ltd.
PAGE 13CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
CHAPTER 3: T
HE IMPACT OF ATM ATTACKS ON LOCAL
COMMUNITIES IN 2017
ATM ATTACKS ARE NOT A VICTIMLESS CRIME
The rising number of attacks on cash machines is causing significant damage to local communities across the
UK. Beyond the immediate damage to ATMs and nearby property, loss of access to cash leads to disruption for
consumers and the local businesses they rely on in their everyday lives. ATM attacks put over 13 million cash
withdrawals at risk, with a knock-on effect of 5.6 million shopping trips at risk of disruption every year.
An attack on a cash machine isn’t just an attack on the ATM operator and local shop owner, it costs everyone in the
surrounding area. We have looked at how much money taken out from local ATMs is spent in the immediate area and
applied this to our forecast of how ATM crime is going to increase over the next years. One of the key findings is that
as much as £110 million of direct cash withdrawn from an ATM has been put at risk in the last 12 months.
The effects of ATM attacks in numbers
Up to 4.5 months 13,500,000
For an attacked ATM to be reopened Number of cash withdrawals lost over
the last 12 months due to ATM attacks
£110million
Total direct ATM spend at
risk over the last 12 months
£33,750 5.6 million
Average loss to an attacked shop Total number of community shopping
(repairs, lost revenue, etc.) visits at risk over the last 12 months
THE COSTLY AFTERMATH OF ATM ATTACKS
When criminals attack a cash machine, there are a multitude of costly consequences. First, the ATM operator has
to replace the machine and restock it with cash. Increasing attacks mean costs are increasing for ATM deployers,
who in turn are forced to consider removing ATMs in order to reduce their losses.
Immediate damage to property incurs repair costs for local business owners. Businesses must repair windows,
doors or walls forced open by criminals, as well as any inventory damaged or stolen during the attack. In the case
of ram raids and volatile chemical attacks, this damage can be extensive. Owners are tasked with completing
lengthy insurance claims often resulting in higher premiums later on.
PAGE 14CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
Case study
When a ruthless ATM gas attack was carried out at a Post Office in a small village in South East England,
the local Post Master and his wife who live in the flat above were left traumatised from the event.
They described the attack as “like a bomb had been placed underneath them”. Their trauma and fear that
another attack could occur made them decide that they were not able to live in the same place any longer.
So, they put their business and their flat, which they had originally acquired as their “retirement plan”, up for sale.
The increasingly extreme methods being employed by criminals is putting lives at risk, but there is a larger
hidden cost on citizens’ peace of mind. Local residents and business owners should not be exposed to violent
crime of this nature.
Using gas to explode an ATM is tantamount to creating a bomb: this is extremely dangerous for people living above
or next to the shop. It can also cause unseen trauma and psychological consequences for nearby residents.
Vehicles involved in ram raids and getaways are usually stolen. This affects local farmers and construction companies,
whose tractors and diggers are frequently taken in order to execute the attack. The same goes for local residents, who
might find that that their stolen high-performance car or pick-up truck has been used as a getaway vehicle.
Cash stolen from ATMs is regularly used to fund other criminal activities, such as drug dealing and illegal firearms
purchases. It is thereby often linked to larger criminal activities, and as such, ATM attacks are both enabled by and
an enabler of other crimes.
The dangers of ram-raids and ATM
explosive attacks
In many cases up and down the country, criminals have caused disastrous damage to their surroundings
and residents in the area. Sometimes they even endanger their own lives: A criminal who attempted to blow
up an ATM in Warrington managed to get caught in the explosion and set himself on fire. In another case,
criminals drove a tractor into the side of an old building in Beaminster, causing the wall to collapse and
leaving behind a two-storey hole. The resident sleeping in the flat above the store with the ATM miraculously
escaped uninjured. Nevertheless, her flat remains inaccessible and partially destroyed. The attack also
meant the nearby A3066 had to be closed and left the community without accessible parking spaces for
weeks after the event.
PAGE 15CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
ATM crime connected to drug and firearm trade
A gang of criminals in Yorkshire has recently been jailed for more than 35 years for a number of connected
crimes. Besides a series of ATM attacks, the gang was also convicted for firearm incidents, drug supply and
knife crime. Their organised criminal activities were all linked, with some used to fund other endeavours.
When convicted, £115,000 in cash was recovered, alongside a number of weapons, ammunition and heroin.
When an ATM is attacked, it can take The effect on rural
up to 4.5 months for it to be replaced.
This is because after the initial attack, communities, where an ATM
shopkeepers and ATM operators are not
able to simply replace the machine.
attack can rob residents of
They have to make good the site, reassess their only way to access cash,
the risk and plan for additional security
measures to be put into place.
is devastating.
While shops remain closed, they lose valuable custom, intake falls, and customers are driven elsewhere. In 2017,
a supermarket chain incurred an average cost of £33,750 for each attack that they suffered. In the case of large
supermarket chains that fall victim to attacks up and down the country, ATM attacks can land them with yearly
costs of millions of pounds in repairs, lost stock intake and missing footfall and sales. For smaller independent
stores, the costs associated with ATM crime can be enough to put them out of business or force them to relocate
to new premises, with all the additional costs this incurs.
PAGE 16CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
ATM attacks robbing local communities
of their cash machines
Residents of Hibaldstow, a village in North Lincolnshire have recently lost their cash machine to an ATM
attack. Consumers in this area are now struggling without access to cash. Residents have said that
“attacks like these are becoming too common” and that they are “desperately missing the facility in the
area”. Instead, locals have to undertake a 9-mile car journey to access the nearest cash machine which is
in Scunthorpe – a task that severely disrupts the lives of those with young families and the elderly, who
may find themselves short on time or without their own vehicle. Equally, after criminals ram-raided a
convenience store in nearby Kirton in Lindsey, residents in the area spoke out saying that it’s “scandalous”
that their cash machine had been attacked. There are no bank branches accessible in the local area, and
residents now have to rely on the Post Office for their basic banking services.
The loss of a convenient, local ATM can be disruptive for locals, introducing transport costs for those travelling
away from their local community to access ATMs and shops elsewhere. When a local ATM falls out of use, local
business at large suffers from reduced footfall. Visitors to the local area are equally unable to withdraw cash to
spend within the community.
We asked survey respondents
how their spending habits Without a local ATM, 20 million
would change if they no longer
had access to their local ATM. Brits would withdraw cash and do
.
Our research found those aged
between 25 and 34 years – an
their shopping away from their
economically important group of home community.
society with significant spending
among retailers – were most
likely to spend less in their
local community.
Without cash, the question of 38% of people would spend less
alternative payment methods
arises. However, would a simple money locally if they lost access
switch to cards and digital
payments stand as a complete
to their local cash machine.
substitute for cash payments?
PAGE 17CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
This was particularly true for older people and shows that consumers will continue to rely on cash as an important
part of the payment mix.
Clearly, many consumers choose the
most convenient option when Only 31% of survey respondents
withdrawing their spending money
and often do their shopping at the
believed cards and digital
same time. In order to do so, when an payments would ever be able to
ATM is out of actionthey are willing to
take their custom out of the local
fully replace cash
community in favour of another location. This directly affects local businesses, who lose out on customers if an
ATM is temporarily unavailable - and some of those customers never return.
When solely including cash loss, replacing the machine and the damage done to crime sites, the direct impact of
ATM attacks adds up to £46.8 million. While we are unable to measure the police resourcing costs that have to
be made available to fight ATM crime, this number is already a multiple of the amount of cash that criminals have
managed to get away with. Taking into account the potential impact to local economies, we estimate that ATM
attacks have cost the UK over £150 million in the last 12 months.
Derbyshire ATM blast
A gas attack on an ATM was carried out in Spondon, Derbyshire leaving the building in pieces. This attack
meant that local residents had to be evacuated from their flats above the store. One of them described the
attack as ‘feeling like a bomb had gone off’. The aftermath of the attack has left many locals worried about
the structural impacts on their homes, with one describing it as an ‘absolute nightmare’. The shop is not set
to re-open for at least two or three weeks.
PAGE 18CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
NEED-TO-KNOW: The consequences of inaccessibility to ATMs
• 42% of customers (equal to 19.9 million Brits) say they would travel to a different community to withdraw
cash if their local ATM became unavailable - and then spend the money elsewhere.
• 34% of respondents said they would have less control over their spending if they lost access to their
local ATM.
• Over 65s are the most likely to travel to a different location to use a cash machine and spend the cash
in that community.
POLICE ST
ATEMENT
“From a po
licing persp
sophisticate ective ATM
d. Offences crime is hig
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and the me e ed and
thods of att g re e of criminal o
potential to a c k from gas e p e ra tional plan
put the pub xplosion to ning
li c a n drag out ha
been occas d offenders a ve the
ions of pre t risk. Natio
mises colla nally, there
psing and in have
jury.
“The wider
community
provide a s impact is a
ervice to co lso signific
m ant in that
are out of o m u n it ies. When a ATM mach
peration fo n attack oc ines
economica r a considera c u rs these m
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due to atta of time. If a
causes a ri c k, it could b se rv ice b ecomes
pple effect e removed
to the rest which again
of the entire
community
Detective .”
Chief Insp
ector Chri
s Mossop
– NW ROC
U
PAGE 19CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
CHAPTER 4: PREDICTING THE DAMAGE OF ATM ATTACKS ON
LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN THE COMING YEARS
A RISING TREND IN ATM ATTACKS
Criminals have been targeting
cash machines more and Local ATMs:
more during recent years. Our
forecast, based on the industry By 2020 ATM attacks will have
database of cash machine 7
attacks, suggests that the more than doubled
number of ATM attacks will
increase significantly over By 2025 attacks will have more
8
the coming years. ATM crime
therefore deserves to be
than tripled
higher on the agenda for policy
makers and police forces.
7
Compared to 2016
8
Compared to 2016
The reality could be worse than our forecast suggests, based on the number of attacks carried out in the first half
of 2018, ATM crime this year is on course to surpass our predictions, meaning criminality could well cost local
communities significantly more than this report suggests.
This potential acceleration in ATM crime means more cash machines out of action, more property damage,
further loss of custom and more disruption to local economies. The most dangerous attacks (ram raids and use of
flammable chemicals) do not occur in isolation: more attacks will lead to a greater number of copy-cat crimes and
criminals could be further emboldened to take more extreme risks.
SECURE ATM INITIATIVE
‘Secure ATM‘ powered by Cardtronics is the largest ATM security innovation initiative in
the country. ATMs that carry the ‘Secure ATM’ brand are fitted with the latest technology
designed to fight ATM crime. The security measures include SmartWater, a spray that
marks ATM thieves for up to 5 years following an attack. Note Dyes are also deployed.
This technology senses when an ATM is being attacked and stains the cash with an
indelible inks which render the notes worthless. Other measures include gas suppression
kits, which neutralise attempts to blow up a machine, as well as Artificial Intelligence
technology, which can predict an attack before it even happens. The Secure ATM
initiative is supported by an expert team of external partners, ranging from local Police
forces through to security technology companies and world-leading IT specialists.
PAGE 20CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
STATEMENT
Sarah Staff, Head of SaferCash, the BSIA’s Home Office-backed Policing initiative that shares information and
intelligence on physical ATM crime with UK Law Enforcement and cash machine owners, confirmed there has been
a surge in attacks.
“Our members have seen a really high spike in this level of crime and the losses are huge, including the theft, terrible
damage to buildings, loss of revenue for the companies and the impact to local communities. Over the last three
months we have seen a 60% increase of these types of offences.”
ATM theft is not only causing incalculable damage to the economic infrastructure, there is an increasing risk in
harm coming to members of the public, as methods of stealing ATM machines now include the use of heavy plant
equipment to rip out the ATM or gas to blow out the machines. So far this year, 313 attacks have been carried
out using these two types of approaches. The use of such dangerous materials can also have potentially fatal
consequences for anyone thinking of carrying out such a crime: already this year a 19 year old was killed trying to
remove cash from a station in Halle, Germany using a similar method to blow out the machine.
“There is a worrying increase in the use of gas to execute these crimes”, says Sarah: “The greatest fear is that before
long an innocent member of the public will be seriously injured during an attack like this, and as the incident in
Germany clearly spells out these methods are also extremely dangerous to anyone thinking of attempting to steal
money in this way.”
The BSIA, through SaferCash are calling on the judiciary to hand down stiffer, deterrent sentences to put a halt to
these attacks across the board; recently four men were sentenced for a total of more than 30 years after stealing
cash machines from shops across London - clearly demonstrating that prosecution services are determined to pass
down sentences that outline the seriousness of such a crime.
“The length of the sentences received by these criminals reflects the seriousness of their offending and how anyone
carrying out ATM crime will not get off lightly.”
“Although the net is tightening and perpetrators being caught and punished, SaferCash will continue to work closely
with UK Law Enforcement and their partners in trying to prevent and detect these offences right across the UK.”
Sarah Staff, CEO of Safercash November 2018
The BSIA: The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) is the trade association covering all aspects of the professional security industry
in the UK. Its members provide over 70% of UK security products and services and adhere to strict quality standards. For more information
visit the BSIA website www.bsia.co.uk
SaferCash: SaferCash is a security initiative which aims to reduce the number of physical attacks against Cash Valuable in Transit companies,
Financial Institutions and Independent ATM providers, through the effective sharing of intelligence between our industry partners and Police
forces nationwide. SaferCash is a proven partnership approach in tackling physical acquisitive crime between Industry and the Police that is
approved by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and the Home Office.
PAGE 21CARDTRONICS UK WHITEPAPER
VICTIMLESS CRIME? THE TRUE IMPACT OF ATM CRIME ON UK COMMUNITIES
A FIVE-POINT PLAN AGAINST ATM ATTACKS
ATM attacks taking place up and down the UK are not victimless crimes. Raids put cash machines out of action,
and the businesses in which they are located are left out of pocket by £33,750 on average. Cash machines pump
over a billion pounds into urban and rural communities – and it is the local community at large that suffers as a
consequence of ATM crime.
ATM attacks have risen over recent years, and are forecast to increase further. This represents a real threat to
local businesses. In order to tackle this epidemic in ATM criminality, we propose the following five-point plan:
1. ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
We are calling on the government to introduce a “zero tolerance” policy towards prosecutions for attacks on
ATMs. The courts should show that ATM crime cannot go unpunished, and criminals need to be dissuaded
from attempting to raid cash machines.
2. HARSHER PENALTIES FOR ATM CRIME
In order to act as a deterrent, successful prosecutions must lead to substantial jail terms. The legislature
must use sentencing to send a message to criminals that prosecutions for ATM attacks carry substantially
heavier penalties than are being handed down today.
3. ALL ATM ATTACKS TREATED AS ‘SERIOUS CRIME’
Police forces should take into consideration that the proceeds of ATM attacks fund organised crime. As a
consequence, ATM attacks should be seen as both “serious crime” and a priority for investigation.
4. SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT
Shopkeepers and ATM operators must work together to ensure that appropriate surveillance equipment is
installed and working in the vicinity of every cash machine.
5. MORE VIGILANCE IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Local authorities, police and community safety schemes must work together to increase vigilance in local
communities around ATM crime. Local and central government must also ensure local businesses and
communities are adequately supported and prepared to deal with serious ATM crime.
PAGE 22FREE ATM
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t: 01707 632 800 f: 01707 632 801
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