Making Empty Promises After a Robbery - Barry Thompson

Making Empty Promises After a Robbery
by Barry Thompson
Guru BIOS

In the District of Columbia a sophisticated group of bank robbers has emerged. They stake out a financial institution and then determine their methods of attack and escape well in advance of the robbery. It has been reported that they steal escape vehicles several weeks ahead of time, leaving them on fire when abandoning them. This way, law enforcement must handle two crimes: bank robbery and arson.

For the people inside the financial institution, the nightmare begins when the gang takes over the bank. The robbers are dressed in heavy clothes and masks. They threaten everyone, using assault rifles and handguns. They have been known to fire their guns and don't seem too concerned about hurting bystanders.

During a robbery, tension and fear run high. Afterwards, everyone is in shock. And the consequences can of course be worse: recently in the Midwest a teller was recently killed during a robbery and the bank's president and a customer were both shot.

Of course management wants to reduce stress after a robbery, but it's a good idea to leave the details to the experts. Institutions that have instituted family assistance programs or contract with professionals to de-brief staff after a robbery are in line with the best security practices.

Often after a robbery, good employees decide to leave the financial institution. Management may try to convince the staff members to stay by making statements like "it will never happen again," or "we never had a robbery before now, so what are the odds of it happening again?"

But keep in mind that what you say and how you say it can have long-term legal ramifications. If you're working in a small rural bank that has never been robbed, the above statements may seem logical; however, let's examine the robbery from the perpetrator's perspective. He received no dye pack and the teller was cooperative. His escape route got him out of town so quickly that law enforcement couldn't catch him. Why wouldn't it make sense to rob the bank again?

Lightning can strike twice and many banks have learned that a robber can and will return. In fact, the Midwest bank was the scene of a second robbery that went badly. If management makes promises that can't be kept, lawsuits may follow. And if staff members are killed or harmed after management makes such promises, morale and good working relationships can be destroyed.

The good news for this report is the District of Columbia robbers have been arrested. The bad news is that others will copycat their methods.

Remember, be supportive, but it's best not to make promises to staff when it comes to the probability of being robbed.

First published on BankersOnline.com 8/19/04