Bank Robbery

Now affects city, suburban, AND rural offices

The number of robberies is again going up. If they continue along the present trend, the FBI suggests they may more than double in number this year over last year.

And the nature of them is changing from non-violent note passers to gun-toting, swaggering, dangerous teams and gangs.

When an American Banker newspaper reporter called us last week, his question was, "How are the community banks protecting themselves against these bank robbers?" After we talked to him we gave him names of security officers he could call to ask the question directly. ("Thanks!" to all you who responded- you were a great help to him.) He got a variety of answers, most of which had to do with training in order to be prepared.

Small, community, suburban and rural banks know (or certainly should know) they are now the targets of bank robbers. The city banks have taken heroic measures to protect themselves against bank robbery. As a result, the city robbery figures are going down while the outlying robberies go up in proportion. There is no single answer to protecting our staff and our customers from bank robbery.

Ideas ranging from armed guards in the lobby to speed bumps in the parking lot have been suggested. Others include limiting access to the lobby to one door; installing "man-traps" to stop anyone with metal (such as a gun) from entering; installing more cameras and displaying the pictures on a TV placed right inside the door so a robber would know their picture is being taken; the installation of bullet resistant glass; dye and tear-gas packs; and "greeters" right inside the door so that everyone is recognized and, theoretically, can be identified. One security officer, tongue-in-cheek, even suggested we just issue guns to tellers so they can fight back. We must admit we liked the idea!

Certainly we agree that alert staff, (not necessarily special "greeters") who greet customers as they come in help advertise the fact that this office is sharp, observant, and undesirable to a robber. If there are security features in evidence, such as cameras and TV pictures, a robber will more than likely find an easier target.

Security experts almost unanimously agree, however, that armed guards in the lobby are not a good idea. Introducing a guard with a gun into the situation almost guarantees gun-play-there's already one there. Dye packs work-after the fact. They catch robbers. Man-traps work- though they can be a little expensive ($20,000 up, before installation)

The key to surviving a bank robbery, many feel, is the ability to depend on well trained staff, where everyone does what they should, and stays in control. This doesn't happen without considerable effort on the part of security and management to make sure training takes place and procedures are followed. Be aware that robbery most assuredly can happen to you.

Be prepared for it.

Copyright © 1997 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 7, No. 7, 6/97