Mounties probe rash of ATM thefts in Sask. and neighbouring towns in Alberta

RCMPin western Saskatchewan and central Alberta areinvestigating afterthree small town ATM thefts in under two weeks have left locals on edge.

The three robberies two at credit unions and one at a convenience store all involved stolen vehicles or equipment that were used to ram through buildings and lift or drag the cash machines out the front door, RCMP say.

Despite the seeminglysimilar methods, neither province's RCMP force has said whether they believe the incidents are related.

No arrests have been made so far.

The string of thefts started on Dec. 17, whenRCMP say a stolen front-end loader crashed into the front of a credit union in Burstall, Sask., near the Alberta border.

The following week in Bentley, Alta. about 350 kilometres northwest of Burstallin central Alberta the Mountiessay another credit union was targeted on Christmas morning.

Robbers used another front-end loader to ram into a Servus Credit Union branch around 3 a.m. on Dec. 25, Alberta RCMP said in a Tuesday statement to CBC News.

"The loader then removed the ATM where it was put into a [pick-up] truck," Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said.

The third robbery happened just five days later in Shaunavon, Sask., about 150 kilometres southeast of Burstall, according to RCMP in the southwestern Saskatchewantown.

Two menrammed a stolen truck into the front of the building around midnight CT in the early hours of Dec. 30, then wrapped the ATM machine in chains and used the truck to drag it out of the store, according to a Tuesday news release from RCMP.

Mounties said they found the stolen truck and pieces of the ATM abandoned along rural roads west of Shaunavon, but the cash is gone.

RCMP are still retrieving surveillance footage from that night and have not yet located the vehicle or the ATM, Savinkoff said.

RCMP say all the businesses sustained significant damage. Burstall'scredit union is closed while engineers assess the damage.

Locals on edge

Unrelated or not, the string of robberies has left Burstall on edge, a city official says.

Lou Stuebing, Burstall's chief administrative officer, says she worries about the town office being robbed, despite the fact they keep very little petty cash on site.

"In all reality, I'm really concerned about anything getting broken into in the community," she said in a Wednesday interview, noting that burglars had used a key to enter the office, while other businesses in town have also been struck recently.

"And the credit union has better security than we do," Stuebing said of the town office.

RCMP did not make a spokesperson available for an interview, and said in an email the forcedid not have data readily available about how many ATM thefts usually happen in Saskatchewan.

In 2019, Alberta RCMP said nearly 40 ATMs were stolenand 40 more thefts were attempted.

In a September 2020 statement, Alberta RCMPtold businesses there are some ways to prevent ATM thefts:

• Businesses should install thick metal polesor concrete barriers outside entrances and keep ATMs away from the front doors "to deter vehicle ramming."
• ATMs should also be bolted to the floor and located in a place they are still visible to staff.
• Video surveillance should be used and clearly announced on signs around the ATM.
• Businesses should also ensure the ATM has a GPS tracking device and alarm system installed.