Bank robbers prefer Mondays...

2008-12-18 22:29

Hilda Fourie

Pretoria - In 2008, bank robberies occurred mostly on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, while cash-in-transit robberies occurred mostly on Mondays and Fridays, and ATM bombings mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays.

This comparison between bank robberies, ATM bombings and cash-in-transit robberies was drawn by Dr Alice Maree of the South African Banking Risk Centre (Sabric) in a paper published in the December newsletter of the Institute for Strategic Studies at the University of Pretoria.

Her paper was presented in August this year at the Security 2008 conference.

Maree, formerly a criminologist at Unisa, has been investigating the modus operandi of bank robbers since the 1980s. That was also the topic of her PhD.

Maree said robbers have the perception that Mondays are good for robbing banks, bombing ATMs or carrying out cash-in-transit heists because they believe there's more money available on a Monday.

All about the money

Robbers also believe "employees are less vigilant after a weekend of partying".

She says these perceptions on the part of criminals should not be measured against reality.

Although Gauteng is the province with the highest crime risk, there has been a decline in bank and cash-in-transit robberies in the province for the period January to July 2008 compared to the same period last year.

After Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal is the province with the most bank and cash-in-transit robberies. The second highest incidence of ATM bombing has been recorded in North West.

Maree said in the minority of cases did media coverage of an incident act as a deterrent.

Instead, criminals followed the case in the newspapers to see what police knew and which precautions to take during their next crime.

Other criminals used newspaper articles as a guide to imitate the crime.

The study found that detailed planning was a prerequisite for these three crimes.

Criminals thoroughly staked out their target before a crime to see if it met their requirements with regard to safety precautions and escape routes.

ATM bombings, bank robberies and cash-in-transit robberies were motivated by a need for money.

"Most robbers initially become involved in crime to meet their basic needs," the study found.

"They remain involved in crime because they still have a need for money, but now it is a need to maintain a better lifestyle."

According to the study, bank robberies, cash-in-transit robberies and ATM bombings are a headache for businesses, law enforcers and the general public alike.

"To prevent crimes of this nature, it is important for the public to co-operate and take action against criminals.

"The same criminals operate as armed robbers. All industries should co-operate with one another and the police to identify suspects and compile a register of criminal activities," Maree said.

- Beeld