Rome has become the Italian capital of bank robberies. While the number of attacks on banks in the rest of Italy diminish, in Rome the first five months of 2006 show an increase of 55 per cent. Surprisingly most attacks are not in the outskirts of the city and the poorer areas, but in the historic centre. The figures have been released by the Association of Banks and Bankers and show that the majority of bank robbers work alone or in pairs, the arms they use being small knives or syringes. The average amount stolen is 5,000, the raids are quick and the robbery usually ends with no one being injured.