Pepper Spray Equipped ATM Machines

Pepper spray equipped ATM machines are here and here to stay. Pepper spray is currently being used in select ATM machines in South Africa. As part of a pilot program Absa Bank of South Africa has developed a pepper spray module that fits inside the ATM machine. ATM technology currently uses the surveillance camera and a high tech software program. If the camera on the machine detects tampering with the card slot in an attempt to install a skimming device or explosives, the software kicks in and the ATM kiosk releases a debilitating cloud of pepper spray. This comes after numerous Absa Bank ATM machines were bombed last year and another 40 were found to have skimming software installed. The thought process is that the unsuspecting criminals will be sprayed and become incapacitated long enough for law enforcement to arrive and make the arrest. The concept is a great one, but Absa is still working out the "kinks". Three of its own maintenance workers were mistakenly sprayed while working on one of the units. Paramedics had to be called to the scene. This is only the beginning of what I'm calling the tech generation of self defense and security products. Criminals soon won't know what hit them! Technology is such that surveillance cameras can capture images of your vehicle including the license plate number of people running through red lights. A ticket with the surveillance proof is then mailed to the offenders home. In just the same way that the surveillance camera captures the license plate number; surveillance and software will deploy the defense products of the near future. In the next few years the emphasis that will be put on home and personal security is going to be extraordinary. If I sent most of you a survey and asked you to list what you considered to be your top five priorities in life chances are security would rank right up there. As unemployment rates continue to skyrocket so to will crime rates. Terrorism will become a very real concern that will demand our attention and resolve.