Spaniards take revenge on banks for credit crunch

With Spain's economy in freefall and loans squeezed, desperadoes are resorting to robbing banks to solve their personal credit crunch.

Bank robberies have risen by 20 per cent in two years, Spain's banking association says; and those who adopt the tactic of the stick-up to pay their debts are novices rather than hardened criminals.

"In recent months, it has become apparent that Spain is suffering from an increase in bank robberies," Francisco Perez Abellan, the head of criminology at Camilo Jose Cela University in Madrid, told The New York Times.

"We are seeing people committing offences through necessity, first-time offenders who can no longer continue to maintain their lifestyle and so turn to crime," he said.

Instances where counter clerks are tied up at gunpoint while masked raiders empty the safe have become so common that Spain's government, prodded by the bank employees' trade union, has classified bank robbery as an occupational hazard.

Jose Manuel Murcia, the head of workplace health and safety in the financial sector for the Workers' Commissions union federation, said: "There's unemployment, there's hunger and there's money in the banks, and the three factors combine.

"Banks are denying credit, so companies are having problems... People can't pay their mortgages. So it's... logical to rob a bank."

www.independent.co.uk...

So it's... logical to rob a bank
best line I've read so far today

Curious to see how many bank robberies occurred so far in 2009 in the US
I searched Google News and funny enough there seems to be hundreds of bank robberies each month. Something that gets little media attention.

Google News results for bank robberies

I haven't had to resort to that level of desperation...yet

hahahaha, i love them continental europeans, never afraid to stick up for themselves

i suppose its fair enough. i've been constantly robbed by banks my entire life, only seems fair that i have my turn and clean em out....

reply to post by warrenb


Skint and directionless ---that's me !
Until now of course---
The answer is only a high street bank away ----just need to get my crew together and off we go !