Robberies Increase as Economy Weakens

May 7 -- On the same day New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly decried the city's significant jump in bank robberies, three Gotham banks were robbed.

When Are Banks Robbed Most Often? Read the Statistics

"[We've seen] a 100 percent increase in armed robberies and a 200 percent increase in robberies by note passers," said Kelly, whose city has been hit with 159 bank robberies between January and April 13 of this year — more than were reported in all of 1999 or 2000.

In the first three months of 2003, there were 1,679 bank robberies in the country, according to the FBI. That is down from a year ago. But for some big cities across the nation, the number of robberies have increased, from San Diego to Atlanta to Boston. The criminals are often amateurs and the average take is a few thousand dollars, but some of the incidents are eye-opening:

In Richmond, Va., one robbery took place while the bank's CEO was being photographed nearby. In York, Pa., a kindergarten teacher made off with $2,500 after passing the teller a note claiming he had a gun. He didn't.

Are Banks Partly to Blame?

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Historically, hard economic times are tied to an uptick in bank heists, but there are measures banks can take to protect themselves, say experts.

Kelly believes a permissive attitude on the part of the banks is a factor. "They've made it much easier for people to come in, pass a note, and get money," he said. "I think this is just easy money."

With customers' convenience in mind, banks have opened more branches for longer hours, increasing their vulnerability to robbery. In Atlanta, for instance, where robberies are up 35 percent this year, banks in grocery stores have become a popular target.

Banks are no longer the fortresses of armed guards and bulletproof teller windows they used to be. The Plexiglas barriers, armed guards and digital surveillance that can help to deter robbers have been expensive to implement, and banks have been slow to invest in them, according to law enforcement experts.