TOKYO -- Kyoto Hokuto Shinkin Bank has installed steel girders at its ATM kiosks in Kyoto Prefecture in response to a spate of robberies in which the machines were smashed open with backhoes.
According to a report in Yomiuri Shimbun, the bank, headquartered in Miyazu in the prefecture, is the only bank in the country to have taken the security measure.
In March, robbers used a backhoe to break into one of about 20 ATMs the bank operates in Maizuru, making off with about 10 million yen ($84,272 U.S.)
It costs about 800,000 yen ($6,741 U.S.) to secure one ATM with the bright red girders, according to Yomiuri Shimbun. The bank has introduced the girders at six locations.
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