STRATEGIC PARTNERS
January 20, 2003
TOKYO -- Japanese financial institutions, ripped off repeatedly by thieves who use stolen construction equipment to carry off cash-filled ATMs, are outfitting their ATMs with sirens and lights designed to go off when jolted.
According to the Asahi news service, the alarms will wail nonstop for 10 hours. The theory is, that even the thieves bold enough to make off with an ATM will leave a trail of sound for police to follow. And disabling the sirens on the spot takes time.
"If the thieves try to smash the siren, it will take them longer (to steal ATMs),' said an official of Ome Shinkin Bank, which this month began equipping its exterior ATMs with sirens.
Making the systems even more attractive is the fact that they cost relatively little to install, added the official. The bank has purchased 25 systems, developed by siren maker Majima Co., for 28,000 yen (about $235 U.S.) each.
Ome Shinkin Bank, the first to purchase the sirens, displays notices that the ATMs are equipped with a crime-prevention system.
"I hope the mere idea of this `nuisance' will stop thieves in their tracks,' said Majima President Hiroshi Majima.
The use of backhoes and other equipment stolen from construction sites to break into or cart off ATMs is becoming increasingly common in Japan. According to the National Police Agency, there were 57 cases of such ATM thefts nationwide in 2002, up from nine incidents in 2001. In all, the thieves got away with 335 million yen (about $2.8 million) in cash in 2002.
A few ATM break-ins have already been reported this year. Early Jan. 18, an ATM in the parking lot of the Cainz Home do-it-yourself center in Matsubushi, Saitama Prefecture, was broken into and 6 million yen (about $50,476) taken. A stolen truck and other equipment were found abandoned in the parking lot.
In December, Secom Co., the nation's largest security company, began marketing a system to scare away thieves with booming noises and powerful lights.
The system's sensor is designed to recognize certain features of construction equipment. When it detects equipment like this approaching an ATM, it begins to emit a loud noise and switches on lights "too blinding for someone to control the equipment,' according to a Secom official.
Secom has received inquiries from financial institutions and expects demand to rise.
Majima says it has also received inquiries from more than 10 institutions.
