Editing Bank robbery (section)

==Overview==

===Places===
Bank robberies occur in cities and towns. This concentration is often attributed to there being more [[branch (banking)|branch]]es in urban areas, but the number of bank robberies is higher than the number of branches. {{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

This has advantages both for bank robbers and for [[Police|law enforcement]]. In urban areas the [[transportation infrastructure]] is more highly developed, especially where banks tend to cluster near [[retail|retail shopping area]]s and [[commercial district]]s. Such banks are highly profitable targets for robbers, who are then afforded a number of potential escape routes. Law enforcement benefit by being able to respond more quickly, and the odds of catching a bank robber on or near the scene is higher than other types of crime. This is because most bank robberies are reported very quickly while the crime is in progress; most bank robberies occur during daylight hours, have multiple witnesses and with modern technology often produce [[photographic image]]s that can be distributed and used immediately to canvass the local area. Consequently, many bank robbers are caught the same day. The [[clearance rate]] for bank robbery is among the highest of all crimes, at nearly 60%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/bank-robbery-0#:~:text=Trends%20in%20Bank%20Robbery,being%20victimized%20can%20be%20terrifying.|title=Bank Robbery|date=January 2007 |access-date=23 March 2023}}</ref>

The urban location of the crime also contributes to its repeat victimization profile, a measure of how quickly a crime victim will suffer a repeat of the original crime. One study carried out by the [[Home Office]] found that in England, one third of banks at which a robbery has occurred will be robbed again within three months, while the same study found that in [[Tallahassee, Florida]], one quarter of robbed banks will suffer repeat robbery within a week, and over half of robbed banks will be robbed again within a month.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/repeatvictimisation02.htm|title=Crime prevention – GOV.UK|access-date=5 March 2017|archive-date=12 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212022917/http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk//repeatvictimisation02.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Characteristics===
The [[Australian Institute of Criminology]] analyzed trends in bank robbery over a four-year period. Of the 808 bank robbery incidents between January 1998 and May 2002 in which the number of offenders involved in the hold-up was recorded, 55% were committed by lone offenders, 25% by pairs, and 20% by three or more robbers. Unarmed offenders accounted for 28% of robberies, caused the fewest injuries to victims (one percent of all victims' injuries), were the type of robber who most often used a note to threaten bank staff (46% of all their robberies), and failed most often in their robbery attempts (33% failure). Unarmed gangs inflicted the most injuries to victims (51%) and failed the least in their robbery attempts (6% failure). Armed robbers used a disguise more often compared to unarmed robbers, with armed pairs employing disguises most often (59%).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aic.gov.au/about_aic/research_programs/staff/smith_russell.html|title=Australian Institute of Criminology – Russell G Smith|access-date=5 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214202735/http://aic.gov.au/about_aic/research_programs/staff/smith_russell.html|archive-date=14 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics injuries occur in about two percent and a death occurs in less than one percent of all U.S. bank robberies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t31512008.pdf |title=Pastore, Ann L. and Kathleen Maguire, eds.: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, Table 3.151.2008 |access-date=2012-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t31492008.pdf |title=Pastore, Ann L. and Kathleen Maguire, eds.: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, Table 3.149.2008 |access-date=2012-03-28}}</ref> Violent takeover bank robberies that are often portrayed in the media are rare. The majority of bank robberies taking place today are so-called "note jobs." These are usually accomplished by simply passing a written note to the teller demanding money. The idea is to attract as little attention as possible. In most cases, other customers present in the bank during a robbery are unaware of what is occurring. Standard bank policy is to avoid violence as much as possible, so they will normally hand over the money and try to obey the robber's demands. The robber usually makes away with cash, but in small amounts. According to [[British Bankers' Association]] data, in 2007 there were 106 attempted or successful robberies in Britain in which an average of 1.6 persons were involved. One third of attempts came up empty while the average haul for a successful attempt was equivalent to US$46,600. Yet 20% of the successes would later prove less than successful by virtue of the robbers being arrested.<ref>Barry Reilly, Neil Rickman, Robert Witt, [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1740-9713.2012.00570.x/abstract Robbing Banks: Crime does pay – but not very much] ''[[Significance (magazine)|Significance]]'' Volume 9, Issue 3, pages 17–21, June 2012</ref>