Protecting your business from robbery

What to do in a robbery

Unfortunately, robberies occur no matter what security measures are in place. When robberies do occur there are things that you and your staff can do to reduce the risk and help police.

  1. Remain calm. Try not to panic, most robberies are over quickly.
  2. Remember the safety of you, your customers and staff is paramount.
  3. Alarms. If there is a hold-up alarm installed activate it BUT ONLY IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.
  4. Remember Details. It is very important to remember as much detail as possible. Even if you have CCTV your description of offenders and events will play a vital part in any investigation. When the incident is over make notes of what you remember, but please do not confer with other witnesses and do not watch the CCTV as this may affect your memory.
  • Suspects. How many? How tall? How old? Any accent, any names used, marks, scars or tattoos visible. Clothing and jewellery, things carried e.g. bags, guns, weapons. Try to remember details, labelling of clothes, even if made to lie on the floor try to get details of shoes.
  • Actions. Try to remember exactly what happened and in what order.
  • Evidence. Remember anything touched or left by the robbers is evidence, but DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING TOUCHED OR LEFT BY THE OFFENDERS. Finger prints and DNA are always good for a successful prosecution.
  • Accomplices. Look out accomplices outside or in a vehicle. Remember details.
  • Escape. Try to see the direction of travel that offenders take and details of any vehicle. Make, model, colour and index.

Reduce The Loss. Your safety and the safety of other customers and staff must always come first but these are some simple guides to reducing the loss:

  • If ordered to fill a bag, stuff small denomination notes and coins in. (Unless instructed otherwise)
  • Do not volunteer to put in extra money
  • Do not look towards safes or other cash storage areas
  • Give coinage as much as possible it is bulky and heavy and may satisfy the amateur
  • Hold back large denominations unless instructed by the robber

It is an unfortunate fact that in many cases robbers return to a venue where they have been successful and obtained enough cash to make the robbery ‘worthwhile.’ Reducing the loss is not about minimising losses for the store it is about minimising the rewards for the robber. If a raid has resulted with the robber getting very little reward they may not attack that venue again.

Remember

Cash and stock can be replaced. Your safety and the safety of other staff and customers comes first every time.

Crime Prevention