Cambridgeshire County Police in eastern England published a video documenting a robbery described as Hollywood-like, as thieves uprooted an ATM belonging to the Nationwide Building Society branch in the city of Ramsey using a heavy crane stolen from a nearby construction site.
Surveillance cameras showed details of the incident that occurred on the morning of June 16, 2026, on a main street. The footage showed the thieves storming the entire facade of the building and destroying it with a crane, before loading the ATM onto a small truck and fleeing the site with another car.
Security investigations confirmed that the operation did not take more than four minutes, as the perpetrators left the crane in the middle of the street after using it, which led to smoke and dust rising around the building. It is estimated that the ATM contained tens of thousands of pounds sterling at the time it was uprooted because it was fed with cash.
Protection systems in ATM machines
The incident raised questions about the effectiveness of the security systems used by financial institutions to prevent thefts, as these devices have techniques to destroy money by automatically dyeing banknotes with ink as soon as a strong vibration is detected to prevent them from being used.
Protection measures include spraying targets with an invisible chemical liquid that carries a digital fingerprint that sticks to clothing and skin to facilitate criminal conviction, as well as installing iron bumpers in front of branches, and activating the automatic tracking feature via sensors that broadcast signals on the site as soon as violent movement is detected. Despite these measures, the perpetrators were able to bypass the security systems and escape with the stolen items.
Through its official website, the police called on residents to provide investigators with recordings from home surveillance cameras or smart doorbells and car cameras to help monitor vehicle movement, and designated a phone number to receive evidence and testimonies.
