Reduced bank cover
After the explosion, how many Bancomats remain in Val-de-Travers?
Between the security measures taken by the banks and the recent attack in Couvet, the Neuchâtel region has lost a third of its distributors since early 2024.
The explosion of the Postomat of Couvet on Monday morning left a gaping hole in the post office and blown up the windows of the hardware in front.
Reporter reader/Fabien Currit
- Val-de-Travers has lost a third of its automatic distributors since 2024.
- The explosion of the Postomat at Couvet highlights the increased risks in the border area.
- The BCN invests massively in the security of its remaining distributors.
- The Verrières have lost their bancomat without arouing the inhabitants of protest.
It becomes more and more difficult to withdraw money in Val-de-Travers, in the canton of Neuchâtel. The criminal explosion From the Postomat of Couvet this Monday, deprives its inhabitants of another point of withdrawal of money, even though the district saw its endowment decrease last year.
Shaken by the attack on the distributor of the Neuchâtel cantonal bank (BCN) in Brévine in May 2024, the latter and Raiffeisen had taken an urgent preventive measure: to temporarily disconnect A dozen devices. Some remained, while in Switzerland Their number is backwards.
A third of banks at least
According to our account, the offer in Val-de-Travers was reduced by a third compared to the beginning of 2024. It was then 9neuf (four from the BCN, three of Raiffeisen and two of postfinance) against six in office after the posto attack. If Fleurier and its more than 3,500 inhabitants can be satisfied with four aircraft, through (Raiffeisen) and the Verrières (BCN) have lost theirs. Couvet keeps two in condition.
The proximity of the French border represents an increased risk of attack. The explosion of the Postomat of Couvet, the first of the year in Neuchâtel, reminds us. Fortunately, she did not hurt.
“We are amazed and angry. The deflagration was a shock for residents, reacts Benoît Simon-Vermot, the president of the Val-de-Travers municipal council. These attacks by organized crime seem to be disproportionate compared to the money contained in these devices, often equipped with ticket maculus systems. ”
A Vaudois police demining team intervened.
Reporter reader/Fabien Currit
The choice to unplug Bancomats
Will the Postomat de Couvet be repaired, while the post office must give way to an agency in partnership in the neighboring pharmacy? “Currently, we cannot make any declaration on posting the Postomat. This depends on various factors that La Poste is analyzing, ”replies Stefan Dauner, spokesperson.
For its part, the Raiffeisen Bank Neuchâtel and Vallées, which operates three aircraft in the region, has chosen to dismantle its Bancomat from through “after a careful analysis of the situation”. He is the only one of his 17 apparatus in the canton to have disappeared in a year. For comparison, five distributors were disabled by Raiffeisen in the canton of Vaud, to count 99.
The BCN disabled five bancomats out of the 51 that its network counted in early 2024. “In an already risky context, the Brévine attack accelerated the revision of the species distribution network. We have ensured that there is a point of withdrawal within 15 minutes by transport for our customers. A real balancingist exercise between risk coverage and maintaining service to the population, ”underlines Marlène d’Aquino, head of the Department of Consults and Digital Services.
The bcn in investment “Several hundred thousand francs” in securing its machines. Metal protective curtains closing at night have been installed and other devices have been moved indoors.
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Indifference to the canopies
In the border village of Verrières (649 inhabitants), the Bancomat located in a building with accommodation was closed due to the endorship of users and residents, without relocation solution. “After the 2016 attack, the BCN no longer wanted this Bancomat. But there had been a big outcry and the town had insisted. On the other hand, at the announcement of the closure last year, no one reacted, “notes the president of commune, Daniel Galster.
The proposal for a money withdrawal system at the municipal office, in partnership with the BCN, has not aroused interest from people with reduced mobility. The delivery service by currency is also very little requested, according to the bank.
The town of Val-de-Travers remains vigilant in the face of the reduction of bancomats. “We make banks attentive to the fact that we have a number of small traders in the villages with whom the population pays in cash. We are going to chat with La Poste to see if the poset post can be placed in a secure place, ”says Benoît Simon-Vermot.
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