(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County police say an armed robber held up a bank on Montauk Highway recently, using a handgun and a black suburban getaway vehicle. A bank teller complied with the robber’s demands and there were no injuries reported in the incident, which has some along Montauk Highway wondering if their businesses might be next.
Most robberies catch local businesses off guard, and it’s no surprise. The robber’s job is to remain invisible until the crucial moment when the crime begins. While some professional thieves are quite good at this, many others don’t do such a great job. There are many indicators local business people can watch for that may indicate that a robbery is pending or likely. Some of these indicators have to do with existing vulnerabilities businesses may have that can make them attractive targets; others have to do with how thieves conduct their pre-robbery operations. Knowing a little of both can help spot and even prevent a potential armed theft.
A planned robbery can involve as little thinking time as it takes to load a gun; others are well planned and sometimes even rehearsed. For robberies with more planning, there is often a surveillance phase where attractive targets are chosen based on ease of access to the business, getaway routes and the proximity of the nearest police.
Ease of access to the business is key—if a building appears to have little or no security, it becomes a more attractive target. The presence of a video camera system can make your building less appealing to a robber. These systems can be quite expensive and reliable; others are inexpensive but may not produce photographic evidence that is clear enough hold up in court. The camera system is often a business owner’s best friend in terms of deterring crime, but here’s a little secret; many large, corporate owned chain stores employ ‘decoy’ camera systems. These stores appear to have a large number of cameras mounted all through the store, but in reality there are few actual cameras watching the sales floor. It’s impossible to tell which is which. The decoys make thieves unsure, and this uncertainty can be worth its weight in gold. Too many cameras may cause a potential robber to move on to a target that is less heavily monitored.
Another thing robbers look for in their surveillance is the attentiveness of your staff. If a business is so busy that employees fail to notice and greet people who come in off the street, chances are a criminal will take interest. Employees who don’t notice the average customer will also fail to see a nervous man holding a gun, a large bag or other tools of the criminal trade. This makes the business in question a prime target.
During the surveillance phase, many robbers take photographs for later study. Time of day, local traffic and any noticeable security are observed from the pictures and used to the robber’s advantage. If you notice suspicious looking people taking photos of your area, a call to the police may be in order. When reporting this type of suspicious observation of local businesses, it is very important to relay to the police that you believe you are being observed for criminal purposes. Telling the police that somebody is taking a lot of pictures won’t get the response you need; explaining that you feel that criminal surveillance or stalking is happening will get the right amount of interest from local law enforcement.
Believe it or not, some criminals will enter your business and ask out-of-place questions. “What time do you close” is a valid query. “How many security guards do you have?” is not. Make note of the time, date and description of anyone asking suspicious questions-especially if they are asking how many employees work at your location or about the nature of your alarms, camera systems or other “need-to-know” type questions.
Sometimes there is nothing you can do to avoid a robbery—with enough determination, a thief won’t be turned away by cameras, guards or alarms. In this case, having your staff trained properly can save lives and prevent complications. Most major retail chains have explicit instructions for their employees to obey all demands made by a robber. Others go further, instructing cashiers, managers and other employees to not only comply, but to state out loud exactly what is being done as it happens. This prevents the robber from misinterpreting any action as an attempt to resist. It is very important for those in a robbery to adhere to their training and remember that many lives can be saved by remaining as calm as possible, moving slowly and obeying the robber.
In the case of the Blue Point Bank robbery, the teller did the job exactly right, according to reports. No one was hurt, and police are investigating the incident. Blue Point Bank officials may not have been able to prevent the crime in this case, but the training they gave their associates gave the employees the tools they needed to properly handle the situation. In other cases, prevention may be the key; both kinds of preparation are absolutely necessary to keep local businesses safe.
