Answer by Andy Zavoina:
I believe that a guard does act as a deterrent, although ours are armed.
Ensure that the guards are properly trained and they should avoid the lobby confrontations you are worried about.
Answer by Dana Tuner:
It's unfortunate that your branch has become so popular -- for all of the wrong reasons. You also might amend your statement that there were no injuries -- there are likely long-term psychological and emotional injuries. What you're describing is your need to develop a "security environment" -- one that's "offender-hostile" and yet "customer-friendly", with employee and customer safety as the first priority. Please consider these suggestions:
- An effective security environment has five (5) logical components:
-- Employees and other institution-affiliated parties;
-- Customers and other persons likely to be on the premises, including vendors;
-- Facilities that you own or control;
-- Assets that are tangible and intangible; and
-- Records from internal and external sources. - The key to your question is employee and customer safety. The answer to the security guard issue needs to address both employee and institutional needs. Find out from your employees:
-- On a scale of 1 - 10, how safe do they feel after these events?
-- What additional training do they want?
-- What reasonable security enhancements would they like to see you put in place? - If your robbery training only deals with a "stand-up" robbery, you've missed several other types. Each type often requires different response procedures, including: (go to BOL's main page for 01-28-02 for the FBI's latest statistics on robberies):
-- Robbery using a weapon;
-- Robbery using a threat only;
-- Robbery using a note;
-- Robbery using a bomb or bomb threat; and
-- Robbery committed by several offenders (take-over). - Concerning your recommendations to management:
-- 1., 2. and 3. -- fine;
-- 4. Remove the "bill trap" connection and include a "homing device" if your local law enforcement agency can track it;
-- 5. Your recommendation is appropriate because this is a safety issue. Your senior management may bear personal liability if -- based upon historical issues that demonstrate that leaving this door open contributed to the robberies -- you continue to allow people to use this door. - Security guards may provide protection and defense -- but at what cost? Consider that there are three (3) types of contract security guards (four (4) if the guard is your employee):
-- Unarmed: inexpensive, and possibly useful for guarding property only;
-- Armed: moderate cost, and possibly useful for guarding property and persons; and
-- Off-duty, sworn law enforcement officers: expensive, most useful for guarding property and persons, liability borne by the agency and able to enforce the laws of your state while working for you.
I agree with your local law enforcement agency about the use of security guards -- with limits. Unfortunately, the Security Officer is often responsible for implementing unpopular or inconvenient processes -- and it's particularly unfortunate when he/she doesn't agree with the decisions made by others. Another BOL user posed a question to me last week that should be featured in next week's edition. Please check back next week for more information.
First published on BankersOnline.com 2/4/02