STORY
Inside the Minds of Armed Robbers
By Gary Gately
HealthSCOUT Reporter
SUNDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthSCOUT) -- Forget John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde and all those well-planned robberies of yesteryear. Today's armed robbers act impulsively when they see an easy target, says a British researcher.
And some of them apparently take inspiration from TV shows that make it all look so easy.
Martin Gill, director of the Scarman Centre at the University of Leicester, offers his insights into the mind of armed robbers in a new book, Commercial Robbery, based on interviews with 341 imprisoned robbers. Gill says the traits of armed robbers are similar, wherever the heists may take place.
Emboldened by how easy it looks on TV, one robber told Gill, "All you have to do is walk up to a counter and ask money from those who have been told to give it to you."
A loaded gun seemed unnecessary to many of the robbers, Gill reports. Only 46 percent of bank robbers carried a gun capable of firing a lethal shot, he says. Some used fakes, while others packed real guns without live ammunition.
Desperation apparently motivates many robbers.
"They want a little bit of cash for the next fix, the next bet, the next drink," Gill says. "I think it dispels the myth of highly sophisticated, ruthless individuals when, in reality, it's rather sad."
Beyond the obvious desire for easy money, some of the robbers also told Gill they get a "buzz" out of the excitement of a robbery.
And, he says, robbers also believed they had done their victims a favor by adding excitement to their lives and giving them something to talk about. The robbers, he says, "greatly underestimate the trauma of what it's like to be on the other side of a gun."
Most robbers believe they have very little chance of getting caught, the book says, and they tend to hit targets that have what appears to be an easy escape route.
While they may spend little time planning, many robbers are always on the lookout for an easy target, Gill says.
Among other findings:
A fifth of the robbers admitted having robbed the same place twice because it seemed easy the first time.
Some of the robbers left no doubt they would use a gun to avoid capture by shooting their way out.
Some robbers believed those working with money should expect to be robbed.
About 12 percent thought they would rob again, while nearly 47 percent said they would not.
By understanding robbers, Gill says, society may be better able to prevent heists.
But his research has drawn some pointed criticism.
"It sounds like Martin Gill has found an easy way to make a buck himself," says Edward Blake, a veteran forensic scientist at Forensic Science Associates in Richmond, Calif. "He just found a new way to get money out of people, instead of robbery."
Police departments routinely provide tips to prevent robbery, Blake says, adding that Gill's findings contribute nothing new.
"Lots of crimes are crimes of opportunity," Blake says. "He's not contributing anything new to what we know about robberies. I think if you were to show that book to some experienced cop, he'd say, 'What's new?' "
What To Do
To learn more, take a look at information on preventing commercial robberies http://www.sfpoa.org/community/prevention/commercial_robbery.html , provided by the San Francisco Police Officer's Association, and on community safety http://www.cleveland.police.uk/crime/prevent.html , provided by the Cleveland Police Department.
Inside the Minds of Armed Robbers
By Gary Gately
HealthSCOUT Reporter
SUNDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthSCOUT) -- Forget John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde and all those well-planned robberies of yesteryear. Today's armed robbers act impulsively when they see an easy target, says a British researcher.
And some of them apparently take inspiration from TV shows that make it all look so easy.
Martin Gill, director of the Scarman Centre at the University of Leicester, offers his insights into the mind of armed robbers in a new book, Commercial Robbery, based on interviews with 341 imprisoned robbers. Gill says the traits of armed robbers are similar, wherever the heists may take place.
Emboldened by how easy it looks on TV, one robber told Gill, "All you have to do is walk up to a counter and ask money from those who have been told to give it to you."
A loaded gun seemed unnecessary to many of the robbers, Gill reports. Only 46 percent of bank robbers carried a gun capable of firing a lethal shot, he says. Some used fakes, while others packed real guns without live ammunition.
Desperation apparently motivates many robbers.
"They want a little bit of cash for the next fix, the next bet, the next drink," Gill says. "I think it dispels the myth of highly sophisticated, ruthless individuals when, in reality, it's rather sad."
Beyond the obvious desire for easy money, some of the robbers also told Gill they get a "buzz" out of the excitement of a robbery.
And, he says, robbers also believed they had done their victims a favor by adding excitement to their lives and giving them something to talk about. The robbers, he says, "greatly underestimate the trauma of what it's like to be on the other side of a gun."
Most robbers believe they have very little chance of getting caught, the book says, and they tend to hit targets that have what appears to be an easy escape route.
While they may spend little time planning, many robbers are always on the lookout for an easy target, Gill says.
Among other findings:
A fifth of the robbers admitted having robbed the same place twice because it seemed easy the first time.
Some of the robbers left no doubt they would use a gun to avoid capture by shooting their way out.
Some robbers believed those working with money should expect to be robbed.
About 12 percent thought they would rob again, while nearly 47 percent said they would not.
By understanding robbers, Gill says, society may be better able to prevent heists.
But his research has drawn some pointed criticism.
"It sounds like Martin Gill has found an easy way to make a buck himself," says Edward Blake, a veteran forensic scientist at Forensic Science Associates in Richmond, Calif. "He just found a new way to get money out of people, instead of robbery."
Police departments routinely provide tips to prevent robbery, Blake says, adding that Gill's findings contribute nothing new.
"Lots of crimes are crimes of opportunity," Blake says. "He's not contributing anything new to what we know about robberies. I think if you were to show that book to some experienced cop, he'd say, 'What's new?' "
What To Do
To learn more, take a look at information on preventing commercial robberies http://www.sfpoa.org/community/prevention/commercial_robbery.html , provided by the San Francisco Police Officer's Association, and on community safety http://www.cleveland.police.uk/crime/prevent.html , provided by the Cleveland Police Department.