STRATEGIC PARTNERS
October 7, 2002
SYDNEY -- A five-year study has found an increase in ATM use in Australia has resulted in more robberies, according to a report in The Age.
The study by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) found the number of times people were forced to hand over their money at ATMs had increased by 108 per cent over five years.
There were 104 reported robberies nationwide in 2000, slightly more than double the figure in 1995, according to the study. The average amount stolen in each instance was $300 or less.
But AIC department director of research Russell Smith said the use of ATMs throughout Australia had also risen in the five year period studied. The 2000 figure reflected one robbery for every 3.5 million transactions, compared to one for every 5.8 million transactions in 1995.
"I was surprised at the very low number of robberies because people generally feel the risk of robbery at an ATM is quite high, but we found they are very rare events," Smith said.
According to the Australian Payments Clearing Association's (APCA)'s recently released annual report, Australia currently has 14,700 ATMs, up from 8,800 in 1998. (See related story Electronic payments on the rise in Australia)
