Armed robberies shoot up
The number of armed bank robberies in Attica so far this year has risen more than 80 percent, according to official data seen by Sunday’s Kathimerini, as authorities look for ways to reduce the increasingly violent crimes. Police data shows that there were 57 armed robberies in the first three months of 2006 wheras in the same period a year earlier there were only 31. Hold-ups have become a regular occurrence in Athens and other cities, and the incidents often involve shoot-outs, injuries and downtown police chases. Bank robbers are more heavily armed than in the past and are more determined to use their weapons, police evidence shows. The spike in bank robberies has forced the New Democracy government to think of ways of tackling the problem, especially since the conservatives do not want to appear soft on crime. But banks appear to remain lax about the thefts, since their top officials continue to ignore laws that dictate what security measures should be taken. «The banks are not interested in applying the methods dictated by law. They have insured their money and tellers keep small amounts. Consequently, they are only concerned that there is no blood spilled,» said Brigadier Giorgos Kamarinopoulos, Attica’s deputy police chief. Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras is expected to meet soon with representatives from the Hellenic Bank Association to discuss ways to combat the problem. Bank employees remain cautious as they say similar initiatives have been talked about in the past without any real results. If banks lower the amount of cash they have on the premises, the incentive to rob them will drop, police say. Data shows that bank robbers often make an escape from the scene with 7,000 to 15,000 euros. If three or four robbers participate in a robbery then the amount each person will take is not high enough to justify the risk, Kamarinopoulos said. Police have also asked banks to transport smaller amounts of cash with armored trucks so they do not attract the attention of robbers.
