In recent years, the North Rhine-Westphalia police have made the phenomenon of attacks on ATMs a strategic priority and will continue to do so in 2024. The number of ATM break-ins in North Rhine-Westphalia fell last year to 153 (182 in 2022), but has remained at a high level for years. The police in North Rhine-Westphalia are therefore using all available means to prevent and combat these crimes. The district police authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia (KPB NRW), the Heat investigation commission of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Criminal Police Office and close cooperation with the Dutch authorities have led to a large number of successful investigations. A total of 211 suspects have been arrested since 2015. In 2023 alone, 26 arrests were made.
Professionally organized group of criminals with criminal energy
The majority of attacks on ATMs in Germany are carried out by Dutch criminal groups. Due to the immediate proximity to the border with the Netherlands, the large number of opportunities to commit crimes (more than 10,000 ATMs), the well-developed highway network and the high coverage of ATMs, even in rural areas, the proportion of crimes committed by this clientele in North Rhine-Westphalia is over 80 percent. This group of offenders is a professional network with a division of labor. The forms in which the crimes are committed are adapted and the knowledge gained is quickly passed on within the entire structure. The perpetrators are predominantly male, between 18 and 35 years old. They are often very experienced with the police, react sensitively to police measures and adapt their behavior very quickly.
This is why cooperation with the Dutch police authorities has been continuously intensified. There is a regular and comprehensive operational and strategic exchange. There is continuous cross-border cooperation in investigations and joint workshops and meetings on the subject of GA blasts. The focus is on both the preventive and repressive side. On the initiative of the BEGAS special commission at the Ministry of the Interior, a transnational ATM interest group (LIGA) was established with the other federal states, the Federal Police and the BKA, which regularly exchanges information on the phenomenon throughout Germany.
Ruthless, dangerous escape behavior
After the crime, the criminals prefer to flee in high-powered stolen vehicles and display reckless escape behavior. These vehicles are accessed either legally, using middlemen, via car rental companies, or illegally via thefts. The loot and material damage caused by these crimes amount to several million euros. For example, the property damage reported by banks in 2023 amounted to over 7 million euros.
Increased use of explosives
While the perpetrators almost exclusively used gas to blow up ATMs between 2015 and 2018, the police have noticed an increase in the use of solid explosives since 2019. In 2023, these explosives were used in well over 90 percent of crimes in North Rhine-Westphalia. This approach by the perpetrators is due to the fact that almost all ATMs in North Rhine-Westphalia are now secured against gas attacks. The perpetrators therefore changed their modus operandi.
The high explosive effect endangers bystanders and emergency services. It also caused enormous damage to the affected and surrounding buildings. The search for and securing of evidence at the crime scenes is carried out by the "Forensic Investigation Units" of the 16 specialized police headquarters. In order to be able to assess and, if necessary, minimize the risks to emergency services and uninvolved third parties posed by potentially unused explosive residues, the crime scene group Explosives/Fire, Disarmers USBV is regularly involved via the situation service of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Office of Criminal Investigation. Increasingly, the fire department and structural engineers also have to be called in to assess whether there is a risk of collapse for the affected buildings.
Special commission BEGAS forms the strategic head of the NRW police
The success factors in combating the phenomenon include the holistic approach, which involves the exchange and cooperation of all those involved within the North Rhine-Westphalia police force as well as the banks. The central special commission BEGAS (Combating and Investigating ATM Explosions) of the Ministry of the Interior forms the strategic head of the police in North Rhine-Westphalia for this issue. Based on the findings of the BEGAS special commission, in close coordination with crime prevention and the experts of the HEAT investigation commission at the North Rhine-Westphalia State Criminal Police Office, it was decided, among other things,
- to intensify the exchange with the federal states and European countries particularly affected by this criminal phenomenon,
- to further intensify the exchange with representatives of the banking and credit industry,
- to set up the "ATM blasts" case in the North Rhine-Westphalia police information portal.
- the previous central investigation capacities of EK HEAT have been expanded or multiplied since June 2023 to include the major authorities in Bielefeld, Essen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Münster.
- In accordance with the risk assessment, the ATMs deemed to be particularly at risk are intensively patrolled at crime-relevant times.
- the technical advisors of the local crime prevention/victim protection departments visit and advise the operators of the ATMs assessed as particularly at risk.
- coordinate investigation and control measures with the police forces of the federal states and the federal government as well as the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) within the framework of the "Interstate Interest Group for ATM Explosions - LIGA".
- The victim protection officers of the 47 district police authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia will offer help to those affected immediately after an ATM has been blown up.
Prevention focuses on securing ATMs and their locations
The LKA North Rhine-Westphalia has been issuing recommendations for ATM operators since 2015. To further minimize and prevent risks, the NRW police are in regular contact with representatives of banks, ATM manufacturers, cash-in-transit companies and other responsible parties. The recommended measures were developed on the basis of our own findings and the exchange of information and experience with ATM manufacturers, manufacturers of security technology, representatives of the insurance industry and the German banking industry.
The North Rhine-Westphalia State Office of Criminal Investigation regularly adapts these recommendations for action to changes in the way crimes are committed. In addition to video surveillance by central security control centers (24/7 staffing), ATM operators are recommended to install automated fogging systems, improve the mechanical security of access points, lock the access area during the main attack times, use cash dyes and install new types of pavilions with a solid reinforced concrete base construction. It is also recommended to reduce the amount of cash available in the machines.
The implementation of the recommendations of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Office of Criminal Investigation is the sole responsibility of the banks. There is no obligation to report on the implementation status. However, it is known from regular, confidential discussions with representatives of the banking industry that many of the companies in question have invested heavily in security measures, in some cases with a considerable financial volume in the millions.
Witness portal for ATM blasts
The NRW police have set up an online portal that makes it easy for citizens to submit cell phone images and videos in order to obtain information about ATM blasts from the public at an early stage. After all, it is not uncommon for residents to reach for their smartphones and take pictures when they are woken from their sleep by a night-time blast and witness such an act. Every tip is important. Nevertheless, the police expressly point out that nobody should put themselves in danger, but should always dial 110 first if in doubt
Citizens who go to https://nrw.hinweisportal.de/en and access the tip portal can make an important contribution in just a few steps. The form explains exactly what needs to be entered or clicked on, and a button can also be used to upload files. The tips can also be submitted anonymously. The North Rhine-Westphalian police can access this evidence immediately.
