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The Digger ATM Heists: Bold, Brazen — and Increasingly Common
Over recent years, law enforcement across the UK and Ireland has documented a growing number of thefts involving heavy machinery — diggers, telehandlers, JCBs — used to forcefully extract cash machines embedded in walls. These operations are often conducted in the dead of night, with stolen equipment, masked perpetrators, and getaway vehicles ready. The crime is dramatic, fast, and causes extensive damage to both buildings and community trust.
Notable Incidents
Here are some high-profile cases illustrating how this method is carried out:
1. Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland
Thieves stole a digger from a nearby business and used it to remove an ATM from the wall of a Danske Bank branch on Mallusk Road at about 03:10 GMT. After the theft, the digger was set alight at the location.
2. Ballybay, County Monaghan (Republic of Ireland)
In another case, a digger was used to smash a hole in the wall of a Bank of Ireland branch in Ballybay at about 3:00 am. The machine was then towed to the scene by a tractor. The criminals loaded the ATM onto a 4×4 (via a trailer) and escaped in the direction of Cootehill or Carrickmacross.
3. Tewkesbury, England
Two men used a telehandler (a similar machine to a digger) to rip an ATM from the wall of a Co-operative supermarket in Tewkesbury at around 03:45 BST. They made off with “tens of thousands of pounds” and loaded the ATM into a 4×4. Extensive structural damage occurred.
4. Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
One of many rural incidents: a stolen digger drove through a security gate, tore the ATM from a garage wall in approximately four minutes, then lifted it into a vehicle with part of its roof removed.
5. Newry, County Armagh / County Monaghan
At a filling station on Camlough Road, on Newry’s outskirts, thieves used a stolen digger to rip a cash machine from the wall. Following the theft, the digger was burned, blocking a road, and police located the stolen ATM later.
Modus Operandi & Patterns
From examining these incidents, some patterns emerge:
• Use of stolen machinery: In many cases, the digger/telehandler used has itself been stolen from construction sites nearby.
• Timing: The thefts almost always occur overnight or in the early hours, presumably to reduce risk of detection.
• Destruction and fire: Frequently, after the ATM is removed, the machinery is set on fire to destroy evidence. Walls, buildings, windows and security installations sustain heavy damage.
• Escape with heavy loads: The ATMs themselves are bulky, heavy, built into strong structures. The thieves often need trailers, large vehicles, or modified vans to transport the machine.
• Frequent in rural or less densely policed areas: Many of these incidents happen in towns, outskirts, or rural settings where response times might be slower.
Impact
• Financial cost: The machines themselves can hold tens of thousands of pounds/euros. Removal, damage to property, structural repair, replacing ATMs — all these are expensive.
• Community effect: For many people, ATMs are vital for access to cash, especially in areas with fewer banks. When machines are destroyed or removed, locals lose services.
• Security concerns: These crimes pose risks not just to property, but to safety — risk of fire, structural collapse, confrontation. Also, they show a gap in preventative security for properties with ATMs.
Why This Tactic?
• High yield vs. simplicity: ATMs are cash-rich, so removing one may offer a big payoff. Using a digger allows brute force removal rather than picking locks, bypassing alarms, etc.
• Shock & speed: The visual spectacle of a digger ripping out a wall makes deterrence hard. If done fast enough, police response can be outrun.
• Low traceability: Stolen digger, burned machinery, masking – make it difficult to trace ownership or perpetrators directly.
Countermeasures & Response
Law enforcement agencies and businesses are responding in various ways:
• Surveillance / CCTV enhancement: Increased CCTV, both visible and covert, deter or help identify perpetrators.
• Physical barriers: Reinforced walls, stronger ATM housing, anchoring machines hard enough that even heavy machinery struggles.
• Alarm systems: Shock sensors, break-in alarms that trigger on sudden force or drilling.
• Rapid mobile patrols in vulnerable areas, especially in rural zones.
• Community reporting: Encouraging locals to report suspicious heavy equipment movements at odd hours.
Cases Still Open & Legal Outcomes
• In many cases, arrests do occur — e.g., in Tewkesbury, two men were arrested.
• In other cases, perpetrators escape, leaving behind burnt machinery or damaged building facades.
• Investigations may take time because forensic work (to identify digger origin, DNA, CCTV) is often hampered by the damage.
Conclusion
The use of heavy machinery — diggers, telehandlers — to extract ATMs from walls is a crime technique that embodies audacity, speed, and force. While intriguing in its cinematic quality, the cost to business owners, communities, and public infrastructure is serious. As these incidents continue, the balance will weigh on improving defensive measures, intelligence, and rapid response if law enforcement is to stay ahead.
Attached is a news article regarding robbers stealing a cash machine from nationwide with a digger
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