Need hi-tech gadgets, more security guards at ATMs: Assocham

Stressing on the need to install hi-tech gadgets and deploy security guards at all ATMs, industry body Assocham today said a better surveillance mechanism must be put in place inside booths to help prevent attacks like the one that took place in Bangalore.

 

A study by the industry chamber revealed that ATMs across the country are facing a massive shortfall of 1.5 lakh security guards.

 

Of around 1,25,000 ATMs in the country, only 50,000 are guarded and just 1.15 lakh are covered by CCTVs, the study found.

 

"The shocking incident at Bangalore underscores the need for recruitment of the guards at expeditious speed to ensure that all the ATMs are properly guarded and equipped with security gadgets, other than CCTVs," Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said.

 

In a shocking incident on Tuesday, a woman employee of Corporation Bank was attacked brutally at the on-site ATM of the bank.

 

After entering the ATM booth and rolling the shutter down, the assailant attacked the woman when she refused to draw money and hand it over to him.

 

"While recruitment of guards and manning ATMs 24X7 may be a time-consuming and costly affair, the answer lies in using hi-tech security gadgets like automatic alarms, improvment of camera footage and setting up central monitoring rooms for coordination between banks and the police," the study said.

 

The private security industry, which manages the cash logistics and security of bank ATMs, has been raising the security issue of ATM operations time and again with the government and banks.

 

As of August, there were 1,26,950 ATMs of banks across the country. Of this, the number of on-site ATMs are 63,380 while there 63,570 cash dispensing machines off-site.

 

Public sector banks had a combined 72,340 branches, of which 37,672 had onsite ATMs at the end of March 2013.