Dusseldorf – In the fight against ATM gangsters, the NRW police now rely more and more on the support of the population.
became a permanent reference portal activated, through which videos or photos from mobile phones can be uploaded online to a cloud, anonymously if desired. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the police can “access such evidence in a package and evaluate the files”.
Background: Citizens often woke up at night to the blast and then took pictures with their smartphones showing either the perpetrators or the getaway vehicles.
Just a few days ago, a machine exploded in Castrop-Rauxel. The building was severely damaged in the explosion.
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (69, CDU): “When searching for ATM fans, time is a decisive factor. The police can use the information portal to access images and videos quickly and easily” . It is hoped that there will be many councils from the population “to help us catch unscrupulous perpetrators more often and more quickly.”
Due to the sharp rise in the number of explosions, police have been on the streets across the country “with all available forces” since early February, Reul said a few weeks ago. Apparently that has been of little use so far.
In recent days there have been several incidents. Examples: In Münster, a ATM at a gas station blown up, in Ibbenbüren, the vending machine gangsters almost had one officers killedin Castrop-Rauxel the police shot a perpetrator.