New austerity course in Berge: VR-Bank opens modern SB branch after explosion!

New austerity course in Berge: VR-Bank opens modern SB branch after explosion!

On November 11, 2024, the small town of Berge in the Prignitz occurred an incident that the residents started. An ATM of the Volks- und Raiffeisenbank was badly damaged by an explosion in the early morning. The explosion took place in the parking lot at the local buy and left not much more than rubble from the machine and the adjacent container. However, this explosion was not the first of its kind in mountains; An ATM was blown up here in January 2015, and this time the perpetrators fled undetected again. It remained unclear whether money was captured during the demolition, whereby God was not to complain about injuries.

Ingo Schlender, a member of the Board of the VR-Bank, was woken up by the noise and immediately made his way to the damage location. When asked how the location should continue, the answer was clear: Despite the previous attacks, the VR-Bank and Mayor Susanne Scherfke-Weber and the community were looking for a new location. While other banks were deducted from the region, the VR Bank was optimistic about the future and opened a new SB branch in the building on Anger in early 2025

new branch and modern services

The new SB branch offers the citizens of Berge and the neighboring villages access to banking services close to home. It includes a modern ATM, a scanner and a bank statement printer, all of which have been technically upgraded. The scanner enables the sending of transfers and the transmission of messages or contracts. At the opening, Schlender not only thanked the customer for their understanding in the difficult time after the demolition, but also the craftsmen and service providers who contributed significantly to the establishment of the new branch.

Mayor Scherfke-Weber expressed her relief about the decision of the VR-Bank to give up her location in mountains. Their emphasis on the importance of reopening for the local infrastructure shows how much a bank branch contributes to the quality of life of its residents.

A look at ATM blasts in Germany

The explosion of ATMs represents a growing problem in Germany, as [bka.de] (https://www.bka.de/de/unsereuflagen/delikts-ikäge/geldeTomaten blasting/geldtomaten blasting_node.html). Technical devices and explosive fabrics often use perpetrators to carry out these attacks. While gas mixtures have often been used in the past, firm explosives now dominate. The attacks are usually directed against isolated machines and often take place with low customer volumes at times. Not only property is endangered, but also the life of residents, as it became clear in mountains.

In 2021, 392 ATM sprinkles were registered in Germany, a decline of 5 % compared to the previous year. Interestingly, fraudsters often use highly motorized vehicles for their escape and are characterized by ruthless behavior. The displacement effect from the Netherlands is particularly striking, where more intensive law enforcement and prevention measures led to a decline in such acts.

The incidents in mountains are not only a local problem, but are in the context of a Germany -wide development, which the security authorities always observed. With its decision to capture the location in Berge, the VR-Bank sets a strong sign of confidence in the regional community, while the security situation of ATM traffic is increasingly in focus.