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Show Bankers develop Anti-Crime Program ELDON W. SCHMUTZ Eldon W. Schmutz, President of the Utah Bakers Associaton, a announced an-nounced an anti-crime program developed by the UBA's security committee. Schmutz is the Senior Vice I President and Cashier of the Bank of Southern Utah in Cedar City and made the announcement in Salt Lake City at a press conference attended by bankers and law enforcement officials from throughout the state. "Robberies of all types, including service stations, supermarkets, banks and other financial institutions, and private citizens on the streets, showed an increase of 13 percent. In view of this situation and the recent highly publicized Utah Bank robberies in the first quarter of this year, the statewide membership of the Utah Bankers Association wants to announce a fight against crime which we hope will enlist the aid of the news media and every citizen of our state," said Schmutz. The UBA will offer rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of anyone perpetuating per-petuating a crime of theft, robbery or violence on any bank; its , premises, its ' employees or its customers while on the premises," continued the associaiton's president. Saying that the association intends "to make bank robbery even more unprofitable un-profitable than it has been," Schmutz cited recent statistics that of 15 bank I robberies in Utah this year that Severn or nearly 50 percent have been solved. Schmutz said that the average "take" is slightly over $3,000 and called robbery "a highly unprofitable un-profitable profession," which the association hopes to reduce by making even less profitable. Schmutz called for citizens to increase their "crime awareness of the crime potential against every citizen.. ..that you contact your local law enforcement agencies whenever you witness or have evidence of any crime or suspicious behavior." |