Some think they have done their victims a favour by giving them something to talk about

Dr Martin Gill

His research, published on Tuesday, reveals that armed robbers think they are spicing up their victims' dull lives.

These robbers are no longer part of the underworld elite, but people who need money quickly to buy drugs or pay debts, he found.

He hopes his research will be used by banks and building societies to make their premises safer.

"I have always been fascinated by robbery and I used to think it was always a well-planned operation," he said.

"I have found that robbers are no longer the elite of the underworld but people who are looking for money quickly, be it for their next drug fix, bet, drink or just to pay the gas bill.

Weapons differ

Many felt people who worked with cash should expect to be robbed and most under-estimated the effect their actions had on their victims, he added.

"Some think they have done their victims a favour by giving them something to talk about in an otherwise dull life," he said.

"They do not take weapons because they intend to hurt someone but, often, for their own protection. Consequently they forget that their victims do not know that."

Of the bank robbers surveyed, only 46% carried a gun capable of firing a lethal shot.

That figure dropped to 35.8% for post office robbers but climbed as high as 75% for cash van robberies.

Every bank, post office and building society robber checked out the premises they were preparing to raid, the research revealed.

Pressure

"They will always look at the place and see if they have a good escape route. They do not like things being in the way of the counter and the door," said Dr Gill.

"They will look at security and the distance they may have to run or if there are queuing rails in the way - they are always looking for an attractive target."

The research is published just a day after Prime Minister Tony Blair's crime summit at Downing Street with senior police officers.

With crime figures on the rise, he is under increasing pressure to get tough on criminals.

Crime figures for England and Wales published in January showed crime had risen for the first time in six years, with robbery up by 19%.

According to a report in The Sunday Times another sharp increase in violent crime in England and Wales is to be disclosed in a new set of statistics due to be published later this month.

The Home Office said it could not comment on the figures, which have yet to be published officially.