Posted on 01/06/2006 10:04:42 AM PST by libertarianPA
Banks in the European Union are robbed at a rate of one every 90 minutes, according to a new report that also highlights the increasing brutality of raids.
"While the number of robberies of bank branches has generally seen a small rise, some tendencies are more worrying: the violence of certain modus operandi and the means used by the perpetrators," the report by the European Banking Federation (FBE) says.
Banks have for many decades grown used to viewing issues such as over-regulation, credit defaults and stock market crashes as the principal risks to their operations. However, the report makes clear that the more traditional threat of seeing their branches subjected to robberies has lost little of its menace.
The most worrying finding in the report concerns the rising brutality of the raiders, who increasingly employ weapons such as explosives or resort to kidnapping employees. Another cause for concern is the "increase and intensity of violence in the attacks against security transports: organised gangs operating across borders use any means available to them, including heavy weapons and explosives," the report states.
The survey adds that the rise in violence is likely to continue: "It is to be feared that criminals will resort to higher levels of violence to arrive at their aims. Indeed, the increasingly higher investment by banks as regards branch security forces criminals to find other means to get at the money."
The FBE report says that a total of 5,864 robberies took place in the 25 countries of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland in 2004, the latest year for which figures are available. This means a slight increase compared to the previous year.
What do they expect to happen?
But wait a minute, this might be due to those "disenfranchised yutes" who simply need more opportunity to assimilate.
"OK - also autos for Germany"
Actually, my friend, even that corner of German industry is doomed.
Mercedes and Opel have been failing to meet sales expectations for the past several years, and are probably going to move their factories into Poland and the Czech Republic.
This will mean even more job cuts in Deutschland, while bringing greater economic prosperity to our TRUE Allies in Poland.
They only rob banks because that's where the money is.
Islamics trying to fund their terrorist activities?
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