TOKYO -- Construction equipment maker Komatsu Ltd will distribute copy-resistant keys to its products to prevent them from being used in smash-and-grab attacks on ATMs, according to the Japan Times.
The distribution of the new keys, which are free, began in December following a rash of robberies in which power shovels and other heavy equipment were used in ATM thefts.
The company is expected to contact all owners of Komatsu heavy machinery operating in Japan, estimated at several hundred thousand units, by March, according to Komatsu officials.
The Tokyo company, Japan's largest construction machinery maker, is also selling other security products at a discount, including an electronic key that cannot be used unless proper passwords are entered and a security system that automatically notifies heavy machinery owners when they are moved.
"We cannot tolerate our products being used in thefts. We will strengthen countermeasures in cooperation with industry bodies," a Komatsu official said.
More crooks are using heavy machinery to steal cash from ATMs, with the number of incidents increasing to 57 in 2002 from 48 in 2001, according to the Japan's National Police Agency (NPA).
According to a Japan Times, thieves using heavy machinery got away with 330 million yen (about $2.7 million U.S.) in 2002. The number of incidents also included failed attempts.
In all of the cases, thieves destroyed ATMs with heavy machinery and took them to an isolated place, where they took off with the money in a separate vehicle. The police suspect that at least two people are usually involved.
Nine people have already been arrested in four incidents. Most of them are linked to organized crime syndicates, according to Japan Times.
The NPA has urged heavy construction firms to enforce stricter security measures, and police have asked managers of construction sites to boost security.
(See related stories Japanese police enlist construction firms for help in preventing ATM thefts, Japan reviewing security in wake of ATM thefts and Japanese ATM thieves favor construction equipment for heists)
