Preventing Bank Robbery: The Offense from the Robber’s Perspective

Abstract

Technology has had a role in the prevention of bank robbery in the Federal Republic of Germany for more than two decades and it seems likely to take on a greater role as a result of the increasing automatization of bank operations. According to police experts, security techniques have had a major effect on crime, although there have been no detailed empirical studies of the nature of this effect The BKA therefore conducted two studies to elucidate the empirical connections between technical prevention and the commission of crime.¹ These studies employed analysis of police files and interviews with convicted bank robbers.