Local governments - Explosions damage ATMs: Civic leaders pen inflammatory correspondence
Town hall leaders from South Baden have penned an intense letter to the Freiburg police chief, urging for increased police efforts to halt the growing trend of ATM explosions. Mayors from Bad Krozingen, Staufen, Breisach, and Hartheim, signed the letter, expressing their disapproval of banks relying on private security due to a lack of adequate police protection.
The mayors plead for more police presence in the area south of Freiburg, with the overarching goal of restoring safety to the citizens. In April, four masked individuals destroyed an ATM in Heitersheim, causing a staggering 200,000 euros in damage to the bank branch. The perpetrators fled the scene in a dark-colored car.
The concern surrounding ATM explosions has been a longstanding issue for security authorities in the south-west. The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has been exploring cases linked to a supra-regional and professional approach, as outlined in the latest security report from the Stuttgart Ministry of the Interior.
Both the LKA and the Freiburg police headquarters are collaborating on the investigations, according to statements on Tuesday, with the high volume of cases necessitating their partnership. In an attempt to curb the action of these criminal gangs, they've raised the number of night patrols in the ATM area and even deployed a police helicopter at specific times. In addition, the LKA and the Freiburg police headquarters have enlisted the help of "special units" in an ongoing effort to identify and dismantle these skilled criminal groups.
The 2023 Security Report from the LKA and Police highlighted how last year witnessed a total of 42 cases across Baden-Württemberg, a jump of approximately 24%. In these cases, offenders managed to steal roughly 1.9 million euros while causing property damage worth around 4.3 million euros. The report emphasizes that while the number of burglaries resulting in successfully obtained cash has been decreasing due to boosted security measures, the detrimental damage to property continues to mount.
"Even if the number of burglaries in which cash was actually obtained is slowly but surely decreasing, the damage to property remains extensive," the security report concludes.
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Source: www.stern.de
