In order to understand the concept of bank robbery, we must know what it is all about, how it started, its features and what should be done to end its menace in the world. The fact is that bank robbery is not only limited to any continent of the world; it is a global thing and as such, all hands must be on deck to conquer this ill-trend. A popular online encyclopedia explains that bank robbery is the crime of stealing money from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. A definition by Crime Museum (2017) states that it is “the act of entering an open bank and extracting money by force or threat of force, is distinct from burglary, which constitutes breaking into a closed bank.” I so much like this latter definition due to its explicitness. Every attack on a bank cannot be regarded as bank robbery. Before an act can be regarded as robbery, it must happen during the day while the full operations of the institution are on.
No matter how old-fashioned this concept might sound, it still happens. Read what the FBI Website states about it: “Robbing banks may sound old-fashioned in today’s high-tech world, but it’s a crime problem that continues to take a toll on financial institutions and communities across the nation. Each year, robbers collectively steal millions of dollars from banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, armored car companies, and related businesses. In some cases, these criminals have weapons, and they often threaten, and sometimes kill, employees and customers” (FBI, 2019). So, this is a clarion call to all and sundry to be very vigilant and arm themselves with the weaponry of suspicion. When appropriate measures are put in place, there is high probability that the criminals will not succeed in every of their operations.
The major locations bank robbers always target are towns and cities. This concentration is often attributed to there being more branches in urban areas. This has advantages both for bank robbers and for law enforcement. In urban areas the transportation infrastructure is more highly developed, especially where banks tend to cluster near retail shopping area and commercial districts. Such banks are highly profitable targets for robbers, who are then afforded a number of potential escape routes. Law enforcement benefit by being able to respond more quickly, and the odds of catching a bank robber on or near the scene is higher than other types of crime. This is because most bank robberies are reported very quickly while the crime is in progress; most bank robberies occur during daylight hours, have multiple witnesses and with modern technology often produce photographic images that can be distributed and used immediately to canvass the local area (UK Government, 2017).
The Australian Institute of Criminology analyzed trends in bank robbery over a four-year period. Of the 808 bank robbery incidents between January 1998 and May 2002 in which the number of offenders involved in the hold-up was recorded, 55% were committed by lone offenders, 25% by pairs, and 20% by three or more robbers. Unarmed offenders accounted for 28% of robberies, caused the fewest number of injuries to victims (one percent of all victims’ injuries), were the type of robber who most often used a note to threaten bank staff (46% of all their robberies), and failed most often in their robbery attempts (33% failure). Unarmed gangs inflicted the most injuries to victims (51%) and failed the least in their robbery attempts (6% failure). Armed robbers used a disguise more often compared to unarmed robbers, with armed pairs employing disguises most often (59%) (AIC, 2017).
In order to decisively deal with bank robbery, we must understand the factors that contribute to the menace. Increases in bank robberies can largely be explained by three factors.
- More bank outlets and extended hours increase opportunities for robberies.
- Banks remain the most lucrative of all robbery targets; moreover, 80 percent of stolen money is never recovered.
- Bank robberies are usually fast, low risk crimes, because employees are trained to comply with a robber’s demands. Moreover, although the risk of arrest is high, much of this risk is short term, and risk as reflected by clearances has declined over time (Weisel, 2007).
In addition to this, banks have predictable designs. Banks have highly uniform business practices and interior designs. Branches have a predictable physical footprint that features a centralized entry and a group of chest-high teller windows arrayed in close proximity to the entrance. Although such uniformity may help customers feel comfortable banking in any branch, it also provides great predictability for robbers (Weisel, 2007).
Authorities in the sector and government must think of plausible way of this issue. Modern banks have implemented modern security measures, like motion-sensing and high resolution color security cameras, time-locked heavy vault doors, silent alarms, exploding dye packs, bait money, and GPS Tracking devices. Some banks supplement this protection with armed or unarmed security guards (Inside GNSS, 2012). I’m an advocate of human involvement in security processes. Although all the aforementioned security provisions are laudable, they will be highly effective when backed up with human efforts.
Today’s biometric technology makes non-violent methods of gaining access, even by the most experienced safe hackers and code crackers, nearly impossible. Modern vaults and safes are also reinforced to the point that the amount of explosives needed to blow them open would likely create unwanted attention and run the risk of harming the building to the point of collapse. By their very nature, even the most impregnable vault or safe eventually needs to be able to be opened and closed by someone. To circumvent vault and safe security features, robbers often kidnap the bank manager, but that is not always a successful ideal as banks have often removed the manager’s ability to open the vault. The police have new measures at their disposal to catch bank robbers, such as well-armed SWAT teams. Forensic identification techniques have also improved greatly; should a bank robber fire a gun, the police can trace the bullet to the exact firearm using ballistic fingerprinting.
References
Baker, B (2010). “Robbed of its new image? Charlestown hopes not Affleck’s new film is the talk of the Townies”. The Boston Globe
Crime Museum (2017). History Of Bank Robberies. Retrieved from https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/robberies/history-of-bank-robberies/
FBI (2019).Bank Robbery. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/bank-robbery
Weisel, D (2007). The Problem Of Bank Robbery. Retrieved from https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/bank-robbery-print-full-guide