Denmark did not have a single bank robbery last year. Here’s why

In a near cashless country, the number of bank robberies in Denmark remarkably dipped to zero last year, a new financial report shows.

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How many bank robberies were reported in the US?What other countries are headed cashless?

In 2021, the Nordic country saw one bank robbery – down from 222 two decades ago, according to data from Finance Denmark, an industry group for lenders.

Last year, it reported none.

Bank heists in the Scandinavian country have declined steadily since 2000, Michael Busk-Jepsen, director of digitalization at Finance Denmark, told USA TODAY Tuesday.

Increased camera surveillance, improved alarm systems and stronger cooperation with the police have helped to bring the number down, he said. In addition, beefed-up security, a reduce used of cash and a dramatic decrease in the number of Danish cashiers also helped.

Of the some 800 bank branches in Denmark, he said, less than two dozen still have staff handling cash deposits and cash withdrawals. Most customers use one of the approximate 2,000 ATMs in the country.

“And the reduction in the number of cashiers in Denmark is largely due to the fact that most payments in Denmark are made by payment cards or other digital payment options,” Busk-Jepsen said.

According to the Danish Central Bank, in 2021 only 12% of payments in physical shops in Denmark were made by cash. In 2017 the same figure was 23%, he said.

How many bank robberies were reported in the US?

Last year’s bank robbery numbers in the United States were not available as of Tuesday, but according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported 1,724 of them took place in 2021, up 224 from the year prior when the coronavirus pandemic hit.