ATM Crime
How did the project come about?
Project findings
Between 2008 and 2011, the City of Westminster Police identified two common techniques used in ATM crimes: 'distraction theft' (targeting people) and 'skimming' or 'trapping' (targeting machines). Creating 'defensible spaces' can help change behavior and reduce opportunities for crimes like 'shoulder surfing' and 'distraction theft'.
Outputs
DACRL collaborated with artist Steve Russell to create new artistic imagery that could be placed in front of an ATM to create a safe space for users. ATM users and other pedestrians in Hammersmith adjusted quickly to these aesthetic behavioural ‘nudges’ and the artworks were viewed as positive, innovative and even amusing.
Impact
Police monitored the ATM Art zones for a period of three months and found the installations to be successful in reducing ATM crime. The Metropolitan Police, particularly in Hammersmith, Westminster, Camden and Islington, utilised materials from this project and subsequent exhibition to disseminate crime prevention advice. Guidance on where to stand and how to protect your PIN is now commonplace at stations, on shop floors and on ATM digital interfaces in many public spaces.
In 2012, Royal Bank of Scotland commissioned a rigorous evaluation of ATM Art in Westminster and Camden with a view to rolling out the concept nationally if proven effective in reducing crime and appealing to customers.
DACRC ATM crime research, sponsored by UK industry partner NCR, has contributed to design pedagogy in London, Delft and Sydney, and has catalysed innovative design responses to ATM crime that have inspired industry, and been featured in a catalogue produced by the Centre.
LINK has also sponsored a fully-funded PhD studentship on ‘Innovation Against ATM Crime’ supervised by DACRC at Central Saint Martins.