The partner authorities did not respond to requests for comment. Germany is also working with officials in Belgium and France and at Europol to combat the cash machine crime wave. In Germany, roughly 60% of everyday purchases are paid in cash, according to a Bundesbank study that found Germans, on average, withdrew more than 6,600 euros annually chiefly from cash machines. Deutsche Bank's sign was still damaged, and a sign asked for customers' understanding that ATMs were out of order while under repair. On Thursday, nearly a month after the attacks, Santander's facade remained boarded up. Ratingen police are investigating a possible Dutch connection in last month's twin raid too, having identified a small vehicle that sped from the scene to a nearby Autobahn. Police in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Ratingen lies and which has borne the brunt of the attacks, have recorded 47 incidents so far in 2023, up on last year's rate. Raiders got away with nearly 20 million euros ($22.1 million) in 2021, when 392 ATM explosions were recorded, a tally that rose to 496 in 2022. Ratingen lies just 70km (40 miles) from the Dutch border, and investigators say gangs from the Netherlands are the prime culprits for the attacks, which send glass flying, cause building facades to crumble and money cartridges to crack open. The country also boasts an extensive network of highways, or Autobahns, on much of which no speed limit is enforced. Two got blown up early on the same morning last month, at branches of Santander (SAN.MC) and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) across the street from each other close to the Duesseldorf suburb's main square.Ī year ago, residents of the apartments above Santander unsuccessfully sued to have the machines removed due to concerns they could be raided - a gesture that might in retrospect be deemed prophetic in other countries.īut in Germany, thieves are blowing ATMs up at the rate of more than one a day.Īttacks are up more than 40% since 2019, according to the interior ministry, and investigators say two factors are driving the increase.Įurope's largest economy has 53,000 ATM machines, a disproportionately high number that reflects Germans' preference for cash rather than bank cards. RATINGEN, Germany, April 14 (Reuters) - In the German town of Ratingen, exploding cash machines are a hot-button topic.
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