One way to create theft-proof ATMs

Can’t prevent something from being stolen? Lodge it in a police station!

This proposal to situate ATMs in police stations across Gujarat, which has received in principle clearance from the Reserve Bank of India, seems based on such reasoning.It follows a spate of recent incidents which saw criminals robbing unguarded ATMs and even making away with them.

Also, there have been reports of people being robbed outside these cash-dispensing machines.“Of the nearly 1,200 police stations in the State, 300 are in urban areas where these ATMs can be opened,” S. K. Nanda, Additional Chief Secretary (Home Department), told Business Line .However, he clarified that the State Government has not identified any particular bank to embed ATMs at police stations. “It is for the RBI and the banks to do this,” he said.The idea of embedding ATMs in police stations received the support of officials at a meeting of the Home Department and regional RBI officials last week. The meeting, held to discuss steps to make ATMs theft-proof, threw up this innovative solution. But the Home Department is asking for a quid pro quo from the banks in return for offering space for ATMs.

The banks are expected to equip the police stations with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, furniture and water-coolers, among other facilities. And the banks can dispense with security guards when the proposal is implemented.

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