ATMs defend themselves with Pepper Spray

If you have never heard of a machine using pepper spray to defend itself, pay attention. In South Africa, where cash machines are frequently blown up or tampered with to extract their money, banks are looking at new alternatives to prevent theft.

Plagued by an ever growing number of ATM thefts banks have turned to a high tech approach to protect their investments. A 900% increase in incidents prompted the development of the technology which detects when someone is tampering with the card slot and responds by spraying pepper spray to incapacitate the individual until the police arrive.

The mechanisms are currently in the testing phase to work out the ‘bugs’. One recent incident with the new device was recorded when technicians unintentionally set off the spray in a shopping mall. The technicians required treatment after they inhaled the compound.

Currently in use at 11 high-risk sites, if proven effective the banks intend to install the spray system in all their ATMs over time. The transportation of money is one of the most dangerous jobs in South Africa so anything that can be done to safeguard the people and machines involved in such transactions is to be applauded.

The Attraction of ATMs
Because ATMs often sit unattended, they are particularly easy to rob. With cassettes holding $3,000-$35,000 each, it is simple to see the attraction such machines would hold. Free standing machines have been removed by chaining them to cars, allowing criminals to empty them at their convenience.

With the addition of pepper spray devices into the withdrawal mechanism, banks should see a decrease of incidents involving tampering, even if the machines themselves remain vulnerable. Still, reducing the ease with which people can steal money from ATMs with such a simple precaution is clearly advantageous.

Pepper spray, in this situation, reduces the potential risks to guards who might otherwise be required to prevent such thefts.