Police on alert after ATM bombing

Published Jan 16, 2015

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Nicolette Dirk and Sapa

ATM bombings decreased in the Western Cape last year, but remained a worry for the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) after an ATM was hit early yesterday.

The bombing in Kuils River took place on the corners of Langverwacht and Fisante streets.

Police spokesman FC van Wyk said that on arrival, police officers found the whole front part of the machine damaged.

“No one was injured during the incident, and the suspects are yet to be arrested. It is uncertain if the suspects managed to flee with any cash. However, this will be established at a later stage by the financial institution affected,” he said.

Sabric acting chief executive Susan Potgieter admitted yesterday that ATM bombings remained a big concern for the banking sector, but the situation had improved.

“Multiple preventative strategies have been implemented, and banks continue to monitor and mitigate the risks. The banking industry is also working closely with the SAPS to bring perpetrators to book,” said Potgieter.

There was an 11 percent decrease in ATM attacks reported last year, then Sabric chief executive Kalyani Pillay said in September.

There had been a decrease in bombings last year, which was consistent with the previous year’s 17 percent drop in ATM blasts, Pillay said.

“In order to fight the threat posed by violent criminals, Sabric, the banks and the CIT (cash-in-transit) companies must work closely with the police.

“We continue to review all working structures to appropriately address the threats posed by organised criminals”, she said at the time.

Standard Bank personal and business banking spokesman Sihle Bolani said the company treated the safety of customers very seriously.

“We are constantly assessing the services and channels available to our customers to ensure that they are safe – which includes the location and security of our ATMs.”

Van Wyk said police worked hard to apprehend the bombers.

“We once again want to warn ATM users to exercise caution when using these machines, especially during the early hours of the morning. Never challenge suspicious persons in the vicinity, they could be armed and dangerous.”

The incident came a day after an ATM in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, was bombed and money stolen.

Eastern Cape police confirmed Wednesday’s incident happened near the Spar in Mthatha.

“The ATM was damaged and money was taken. We are not sure how much was taken, but it was a lot of money.

“We have not yet arrested anyone, but there are clues that we are following. We strongly believe that we will make arrests soon,” said spokesman Mzukisi Fatyela.

It was believed the explosion took place between 2.30am and 3am.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line at 32211.

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