The number of robberies on British bank branches has dropped by 90% in the past decade, figures from the British Bankers Association suggest.
The BBA said there were 66 robberies in 2011, compared to 847 in 1992.
The drop has been attributed to a raft of innovative technologies making it extremely difficult for "traditional" robbery tactics to work.
"Banks are working hard to confine armed robberies to the world of TV dramas," BBA chief Anthony Browne said.
"Being caught up in a bank job is a terrifying ordeal for staff and customers that can scar lives for decades.
"It's great to see that the number of these crimes have fallen sharply in recent years. Anyone trying to rob a bank now faces much better CCTV, protective screens that can rise in less than a second and even special fog designed to disperse criminals.....
A similar trend has been noted in the US, where FBI figures for 2012 put the number of bank robberies nationwide at 3,870 - the lowest in decades.
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That HSBC bank picture used at the top was one near my house, about 10minute drive. The robbers smashed into the bank via a car, then got what they could and left.
They weren't all that clever though, my tutor who I did some training with for my jobseekers said he'd heard that the robbers were using first-names whilst in the branch doing the robbery lol. Not been caught as of yet as far as I'm aware.
I guess technology is playing a massive role in reducing these sorts of crimes and as much fun they sound on TV, I imagine it's horrifying for the staff and customers.
