Gravina in Puglia: theft at the postamat foiled last night

Below is a press release released by the Italian Post Office:

Poste Italiane’s money storage systems are decidedly cutting-edge, so much so that in the last year 58% of attempted criminal events throughout Italy have been foiled.

The latest episode in chronological order occurred last night, with an attempted theft against theATM of the Gravina in Puglia Post Office 1, located in via Carso, 19. At approximately 02.50, the alarm signals received by the operators of the Situation Room in Naples, the 24-hour control room of Poste Italiane responsible for the territory, made it possible, through consultation of the images of the remote cameras, to detect the presence of two individuals with their faces covered in an attempt to force the entrance door of the Post Office. The police, immediately notified, arrived on site, forcing the criminals to flee. The signs of damage detected by the authorities on the banknote dispenser, together with the strong burning smell which made the intervention of the bomb squad necessary, confirmed the attempted attack.

This result was possible thanks to the Company’s investments in protection and safety which made it possible, for example, to equip all 109 Post Offices in Bari and the province, of devices to protect cash, including special safes with timed opening, and to activate 502 doors equipped with RollerCash, special safes connected to the operating stations whose drawers can only be opened at the end of an operation. Further anti-burglary systems have been introduced to protect ATMs, such as the so-called guillotine which, through a mobile bulkhead, prevents the introduction of explosives inside the safe itself. The “guillotine” is an armored structure that guarantees the protection of the internal slit through which the money passes to exit the ATM safe. This system does not allow the introduction of explosives inside the safe itself, making the attack attempt futile.

The deterrent effect generated by these measures has contributed significantly to the reduction in the number of criminal events in recent years.

Furthermore, Poste Italiane has provided for the post offices of Bari and its province, the introduction of numerous armed surveillance services and the presence of closed-circuit video surveillance systems made up of over 1044 cameras which, in addition to monitoring possible nocturnal intrusions into the Poste Italiane premises and contributing to the recognition of possible robbers, allow through sophisticated software of predictive video analysis to automatically recognize suspicious behavior and potential attacks on ATMs, triggering a request for intervention from the police in real time.

Once again, Poste Italiane’s commitment to guarantee increasingly higher security standards, to protect people and company assets, the provision of technologically advanced security systems and the close collaboration with the police forces have made it possible to effectively combat the predatory attack.