More ATM bombings in NL; little money stolen

The number of ATM bombings in the Netherlands is increasing. So far this year criminals tried to blow open ATMs with explosives 37 times, compared to 43 in all of last year. The police have no idea why the popularity of ATM bombings is increasing, because very few of them end with the perpetrators getting away with money, AD reports.

The Netherlands has the best secured ATMs in Europe, and yet criminals keep trying to break into them. And they're trying harder and harder, using increasingly dangerous explosives. "The doggedness with which they keep trying is incomprehensible", Jos van der Stap of the police said to the newspaper. "Because every failed ATM bombing is risky and costs money. They keep needing explosives and getaway cars."

The police and Dutch association of banks NVB would not tell AD exactly how much money is stolen in ATM bombings. "Everything you say about the chance of success can encourage criminals", Jelle Wijkstra of the NVB said. "But it is certainly true that the vast majority of ATM bombings fail."

ATM bombings cause a lot of damage and often disrupts daily life in the neighborhoods where they are committed. Last month such a bombing in Waalwijk blew a massive whole in the facade of the shop the ATM was attached to and shattered windows in a nearby home. In July an ATM bombing in Venlo resulted in 80 homes and a hotel being evacuated while explosive experts determined whether the area was safe.