Greeters Help Improve Security?
Friday, December 11, 2009 15:50
Well, I really do learn something new almost every day. I was reading an article in Forbes magazine the other day about a robbery prevention technique that I had never heard of before. I thought I would share it with you in this article.
Greeting a Bank Robber
Some banks are now using greeters, like Wal-Mart does, at the entrance to the bank as a robbery prevention tool. The theory behind this technique is that most criminals do not want to be noticed. Supposedly if a bank employee looks the criminal in the eye and says hello when they walk into the bank, the criminal no longer has that psychological edge of anonymity and confidence they need to commit the crime.
The greeter can also help by preventing criminals from casing the bank. Most professional bank robbers or criminals case or inspect the business before carrying out a robbery. With the use of a greeter, it makes it hard for the criminal to look around at security measures and locations of exits, offices and other points of interest they may need to know. In addition, a greeter can ask customers to remove hats, sunglasses or other items that may prevent a criminal from being identified if their picture is taken. If a customer refuses or gives the greeter a hard time, the video footage as well as a report of the incident can be given to the bank’s designated security officer.
This type of greeting system was proposed back in 2006 by Lawrence Carr, an FBI agent, and was taught to bank security officers using the SafeCatch training program. You can download the SafeCatch training manual, slides, study information, and tellers guide from the Bankers Online website.
It appears this type of system has been quite successful because, according to the data bank robberies are down this past year, even with the economic hardships in the United States. The use of greeters is especially effective against what is called note jobs, where the bank robber passes a note to the teller and never shows a weapon. Since note jobs make up from 80 to 90 percent of bank robberies, this may be a tool you want to implement as a bank.
Please be aware that the use of greeters may do nothing against bank robbers who use guns or other types of weapons. These types of robbers are usually not easily deterred and are prepared to handle most obstacles put in there way with force.
Alternative Security Measures
If you are a small branch or a small bank with only one or two branches and really do not have personnel you can dedicate to greeting customers, there are a few other things you can do. First, you can have whoever is closest to the entrance, look at and say hello to every customer that comes into the bank. This may be a teller or bank officer that has an office or desk near where customers enter the bank. Another alternative is to put a chime or bell on the entrance door and have all tellers look at and say hello to customers when they enter the bank. This type of attention will usually scare off most note-pushing bank robbers.
Of course, the use of greeters should not be the only security measure you use. I have done assessments at banks where they have enclosed the tellers’ stations with bulletproof glass and other ones that have used metal detectors in the entryway. The metal detector, if activated, basically locks the second entryway doors preventing someone from entering the bank. Some are even set up to lock both the outside and second entryway doors, setting up a man trap where the criminal is held until police arrive. The use of greeters should be used in addition to any other security measures you have in place.
This appears to be an effective security measure against some types of bank robbery but how about other types of businesses? Would it work in retail stores, mini-marts, restaurants, liquor stores, supermarkets or other types of private business? What do you think about using it in your business? Would it work or could the principle be modified to address security needs of your type of business? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
If you wish to read the whole Forbes article please click here.
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