Amsterdam could ban many ATMs to stop explosive robberies

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema discussed a ban on ATMs in risky areas on AT5, the NOS reports. A series of explosions in Amsterdam, including at ATMs, prompted the mayor's concerns that ATMs in the facades of buildings can endanger neighborhoods.

July and August saw 10 explosions in Amsterdam. Houses, businesses and ATMs were all targeted. No one was injured, but the incidents intimidated local residents. "It's serious, I'm concerned about it," Halsema said of the explosions.

The mayor said the municipality of Amsterdam has been working toward removing ATMs from the facades of buildings for a while now, but it is ultimately up to banks whether or not they want ATMs taken away. Halsema said she wants the municipality to have the final say in these situations.

"Now residents have to raise the issue themselves to get rid of it. Until I have the authority, you keep places that are risky. The residents are also well aware of that," Halsema explained on the program.

This power will come only if the Cabinet changes the law. The city is in talks with the Cabinet about this issue, Halsema said.

"We have also had discussions about this with the well-known Dutch banks in recent years. The facade machines have also become less," Halsema said. "But there is a great responsibility with regard to the risks to the environment."

However, perpetrators are the ones to blame for the violence, the mayor emphasized. She noted that explosions at ATMs seldom reward perpetrators with loot, calling them "pointless."