The scenario repeats itself tirelessly. A small group of thugs bursts into front of a ATM in the middle of the night. They blow it up, recover the loot and disappear so quickly that the authorities are left to observe the damage. This was again the case last Sunday in Zizers (GR).
In 2024, 28 ATMs were attacked with explosives in Switzerland. A number never reached before and which highlights a worrying development for the authorities, the use of explosives being considered particularly dangerous. For the record, some devices are housed in apartment buildings. In total, if we also take into account forced, snatched or manipulated ATMs, the federal police (Fedpol) count 48 attacks in 2024. The record in this area dates from 2022 with 57 attacks, compared to 32 in 2023.
Faced with these statistics, some elected officials are worried, starting with national advisor Olivier Feller (PLR, VD) who proposes equipping ATMs with an anti-theft device, which “in the event of an explosion, would spray the banknotes with ink and would thus render them unusable”, as is done in “Ireland, Belgium, France and Sweden”, he explains in his parliamentary intervention. Furthermore, some banks have already taken measures, such as withdrawing ATMs or reducing the amounts deposited.
Note also that a major arrest occurred in France last summer. Thirteen individuals suspected of having blown up dozens of ATMs in several countries, including Switzerland, were arrested. According to the investigation, this gang operated from a main headquarters in the Netherlands, details the “Aargauer Zeitung”. From there, she organized the attacks with small groups of 3 or 4 people, generally of Romanian or Moroccan origin. Generally speaking, Fedpol notes that attacks are becoming more professional. “Criminals rent premises abroad, used as a logistics base, then they cross the border in stolen cars and commit their misdeeds in a flash,” describes the federal police.
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