Robberies On The Rise

ROBBERY RESPONSE TRAINING TAKES ON NEW IMPORTANCE
Robberies are very much on the increase this year. Not only are the "one-on-one" single gunman or note passer becoming more active, but robberies of other types are also occurring more frequently.

While in New Orleans at the B.A.I. Audit/Compliance/Security Conference, this editor heard one horror story after another about robberies.

A branch manager who answered her doorbell one morning found outside a man flashing a detective badge at her, saying, "Mrs. _______" (calling her by name), "I'm from the police department. I've got some bad news for you." After she let him in the house, her husband came in the room, and asked the man for identification, at which time the imposter pulled out a gun. He wrapped two cloth filled containers around the throats of the husband and the branch manager's small daughter, telling them they contained dynamite. He then demanded $100,000.

The branch manager went to her financial institution, cleaned out the vault of $89,000 and took it home with her. The robber settled for that and left. It was then discovered that the daughter and husband had bands with batteries in them around their necks. The robber has not been caught.

In another instance, the branch manager got a call at his desk. "Mr. ______" (again by name), "I've just hit your car in the parking lot. If you'll come out, I'll give you my insurance information." He went. It cost the institution $50,000 to free him. The hostage taker was not caught.

A hostage situation was averted when a school called an employee, who is a customer service representative, and asked if she had sent someone in after her little boy. They had the note she had signed, and it looked like her signature, but they "just wanted to check." But she had never written a note, nor had she sent anyone after her son! The note presenter got away. (She saw the note. It DOES look like her signature.)

A teller was approached by a new customer who said she was going to be mailing checks for deposit directly to the teller's attention. When the customer flipped open her address book to write down the teller's name and branch address, the teller noticed (by observing writing upside down!) that the customer had recorded the teller's make of car, the car color, the license number, and her home address! She did not mention what she had observed to the customer, but after the customer left, she immediately called the security officer.

It sounded too much like the beginning of a hostage situation. The teller temporarily changed her hours and her route to work. They have not heard from the customer since that day and all mail has been returned marked, "Moved-left no forwarding address."

We have been aware of the "morning glory" robbery in this business for some time-someone breaking into the facility and staying hidden until opening in the morning, when hostages would be taken and the vault cleaned out. It was sort of an old fashioned, >
The emphasis on robbery by security officers at the B.A.I. Conference was not unexpected. Robberies are occurring in 1990 in such numbers as to make them much more important. As a matter of fact, in some areas of the country, there have already been as many robberies by the end of March, 1990 as in the whole year of 1989! Seattle, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles and cities in Texas are looking for three times the number of robberies this year over 1989.

Robbery training has become a priority activity at all financial institutions.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 85% of all robberies of financial institutions occur "one-on-one"-one robber, one teller.

In addition to the increased number of teller station robberies and hostage situations, the cash delivery robbery is becoming more popular as a target. During the evaluation of the possibility of robbery at the facility, review the cash delivery procedures. If YOU were the robber, would YOU have ample opportunity to predict when the cash will be delivered and how it will be handled once inside the facility? If you find it would be too easy to steal, it is time to change the procedures!

The changes expected in the Bank Protection Act make it essential to do a reevaluation of our robbery procedures. More accountability will be assigned to the security officer than ever before. And this is one area of training in which we do not want to be found wanting. The penalty is much too great.

Do you have your own horror story you'd like to share with other bankers? Send them in so we'll all have a better chance to know what to watch for.

Copyright © 1990 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 1, No. 4, 4/90