Banks reluctant to deploy guards despite rise in crimes
The robbers wear helmets or cut off the CCTV wires
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-09-12 04:50 GMT
Kochi: Despite rising incidents ofDespite rising incidents of ATM robberies, major banks are reluctant to employ security staff at their ATM counters.
CCTV cameras have proved to be ineffective in many cases with the robbers employing tactics like wearing helmets and cutting off CCTV wires.
State Bank of India, the ATM of which was robbed recently, has 114 ATM counters in Kochi and another 140 in Thiruvananthapuram, but did not deploy even a single security guard round the clock or during night at the counters, as per an RTI reply.
Similarly, Canara Bank has 186 ATMs in Kochi and another 207 in Thiruvananthapuram. “The number of ATMs having 24 hours security guard in Kochi is one. In Trivandrum, a security guard is deployed at the circle office premises having two ATMs and another one in Sasthamangalam,” the bank said in its reply to an RTI query filed by Ajay S Kumar, a second year BCom student.
The Kochi Police has sent notices to all banks to deploy trained security guards at ATM counters and install CCTV cameras.
“99 per cent of the banks have installed CCTV cameras. Upon noticing any suspicious activities, the banks would alert the police control room,” said Harisankar, DCP (Law and Order).
However, in most of the recent cases, the robbers wear helmets or cut off the CCTV wires. “In the recent Thrissur case, staff of the contract agency entrusted to fill up cash was behind the loot which could have been prevented had a security personnel been deployed,” said another police officer.