What are money transfer vehicles?
**What Are Cash Transport Vehicles and What Do You Know About Them?**
Recently, an armored cash transport vehicle in Britain, belonging to a well-known global company, was attacked by a group of robbers. The British police are tracking the perpetrators who fled with £7 million, according to a report published in the *Daily Mail*. This article isn’t about that specific incident but focuses on *armored cash transport vehicles*.
Many may not know that the first person to conceptualize an armored vehicle was the genius artist *Leonardo da Vinci*, through his illustrated drawings in 1485. From these sketches, and through further development, armored vehicles were created, which have been used in various fields, from military to economic purposes.
What are money transfer vehicles?
Additionally, *Blum Hill’s treasure cart*, designed to transport valuable items during the American Civil War, played a crucial role. As the United States unified and faced growing threats from gangs and thieves, many currency and financial companies began using armored vehicles to transport cash, documents, gold, jewelry, and other highly valuable items.
One of the first armored vehicles built was the *Blumore* in 1910. It was designed to serve as a mobile bank, functioning both as a transport vehicle and a mobile banking branch. In August 1914, *Rolls-Royce* produced the “Ghost,” which was the first armored vehicle provided to the British army. It proved to be highly effective during the war, leading to a surge in global demand for such vehicles. By 1930, *Mercedes-Benz* had entered the competition by producing an armored vehicle specifically for the eleventh Pope’s transportation, further increasing its popularity as an official vehicle for world leaders and for transporting cash and valuables.
These armored vehicles, which are now widely used, are bulletproof and resistant to break-ins. In recent decades, they have been equipped with various electronic devices, communication systems, surveillance cameras, and more. Companies specializing in cash transport also have a trained workforce, skilled in resisting attacks and handling the weapons they carry. Every employee is licensed to carry a weapon as per the agreements between the cash transport company and the security institutions of each country.
What are money transfer vehicles?
However, thefts still occur, often meticulously planned by criminals or gangs, sometimes involving collusion with employees of the transport company, or even the armored vehicle itself. In some cases, a family member of an employee or security guard from the cash transport vehicle is taken hostage. Many films have depicted these kinds of heists.
What’s more, in some countries, the doors of armored vehicles do not open fully for the delivery of money bags. Instead, the transaction is done through a small hatch at the rear of the vehicle. Inside the vehicle, the driver and a security guard sit with bulletproof helmets on their heads, and the windows are made of tinted, bulletproof glass. Despite these precautions, unexpected robberies of these vehicles still occur worldwide, as was the case with the British cash transport vehicle.
