Fog, Color, AI: Banks Receive High-Tech Protection Against Burglary Gangs

Following the recent attacks on ATMs, a security pact with bank representatives was signed at the Ministry of the Interior on Friday. There were 13 incidents last year, and 17 already this year, "ranging from explosions to smaller attacks," reported Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). Dye systems in ATMs are to be renewed and fogging systems installed. These can be triggered by AI-supported suspicious movements, it was explained.

"We will catch you": Karner with a message to the explosion gangs

In addition to the establishment of the SOKO ATM in the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) at the beginning of March, it is also about the appropriate design of police presence, emphasized Karner. "We are countering, we will catch you," he addressed the perpetrators. Last Sunday, there was already an arrest, the Interior Minister recalled the suspect from the Netherlands who was shot by the police after an ATM explosion in Vienna-Leopoldstadt. The perpetrator groups primarily originate from this country, explained BK Director Andreas Holzer.

There are several hundred perpetrators who also carry out attacks in Germany, France, and Switzerland. The accused arrested in Vienna is in pre-trial detention, said Holzer. "We are also on the trail of the remaining perpetrators," he assured. He could not provide further details to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. It was already known that the arrest in Vienna led to a house search in the Netherlands.

The acts are not only about the ATMs but also about "a deliberate endangerment through explosives," emphasized Holzer. "If these packages with explosives cause damage to buildings or if passers-by happen to walk by the building at night, there could also be fatalities," stated the BK Director. "Other countries are already upgrading, and we will soon be at a point where it will no longer be possible for the perpetrators to carry out these attacks," he announced.

Against ATM Explosions: New Fogging with AI and Dye Systems

Robert Zadrazil, President of the Banking Association and Austria head of UniCredit, spoke of a "reprehensible approach" by the criminals. Many people live in the vicinity of the crime scenes, and the property damage is often higher than the loot. Austrian banks "must become less attractive to criminals," added Erste Bank CEO Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller.

This includes the renewal of dye systems that render the money contained in the ATM unusable in the event of damage, and "the use of fogging systems in branches where it is particularly high-risk," said Michael Höllerer, Chairman of the Economic Chamber, Federal Division of Banking and Insurance, and General Director of Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien. In security systems like surveillance cameras, programming with artificial intelligence could be integrated to initiate communication with security authorities or fogging measures in the event of suspicious movements. "This is modern technology that we will gradually implement," emphasized Höllerer.

(APA/Red)

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