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ATM Crime

Posted on 2024-05-15 - 15:08

How did the project come about? 
 

The project began in 2010 when the Metropolitan Police in Hammersmith asked DACRC to help reduce ATM crime. The police had previously implemented safety zone boxes or yellow warning lines around ATMs to indicate space for users and guide other pedestrians to stand back. However, local banks and businesses felt these measures had negative connotations and were bad for business. In response, DACRC collaborated with key stakeholders to develop new design approaches.
 

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'. 


Previously, efforts to create these spaces included painted boxes on the floor and signage to define ATM 'security zones' or 'privacy areas'. While these measures had some success in reducing crime, they were not popular with businesses or the public. Many saw them as unattractive and indicative of crime problems, which deterred some users. This indicated a need for new ways to define defensible space.

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.  

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