Cops: Go to bank with your own guards

POLICE are advising the public to utilise a reliable private security service when taking large sums of money out of the bank.

Police PRO Joanne Archie on Friday told Newsday that having security was one of the methods that could be used for safety when banking.

“I advise people in going to make a large deposit to probably secure the service of a reputable security company,” Archie said. “You could also secure the assistance of the police.”

The advice came days after the wife of NIB chairman Patrick Ferreira was attacked and robbed of $3 shortly after she left a bank.

According to reports at about 12.15 pm on Wednesday Carla Ferreira left an RBC Royal Bank branch near West Mall and went to her home in Westmoorings. She parked her car in the driveway and through her side mirrors saw two men jumping over her gate.

The assailants ran up to the car, smashed her window, punched her in the face and snatched her handbag before escaping.

On her social media account she said she had gone to the bank but after feeling faint she decided to go home and conduct her business another time. She revealed that she only had $3 in her bag at the time.

On August 12, a businessman was robbed of US$9,000 and TT$2,000 by two masked bandits in Arima. He told police he got the cash from the bank and went to the supermarket, but as he parked his vehicle he was ambushed by the two men, one of whom was armed with a gun.

In July a 49-year-old man was robbed of $150,000 in cash which he withdrew from a bank in San Juan. He took out the cash from a bank on Eastern Main Road, and when he got to his La Canoa Road home in Santa Cruz, five armed men ambushed him and relieved him of the cash, credit cards and debit cards.

Archie: Be observant

Archie said among the many "target-hardening" strategies – ways to avoid being a "soft" target – that people should utilise, the best among them was simply being observant.

“You go into the bank and you withdraw large sums of cash and you are just walking around or going to your vehicle, you have to be aware of your surroundings.

“Increasing your personal awareness is the most effective form of self-defence.”

Other methods included avoiding having a strict schedule that could be monitored and anticipated and avoiding having other people make deposits for you.

For business owners she advised that people do thorough background checks on their staff.

“They can watch your movements and say on a Friday they pay salary, or every evening, or every Tuesday. So you have to look at your employees too. Do thorough background checks if possible.”

At the home she said to make sure that CCTV cameras were working, and to avoid using “sham” cameras – cameras that only appear to be working.

“You can also be part of neighbourhood watch groups which have proven to be very useful. If there are strangers or suspicious people in the area, information is shared in a timely manner and, in many cases, there are police officers living in the area in those groups too. So that is a very effective initiative.”

While there have not yet been any leads in the Ferriera case, Archie said intelligence-based policing had been effective in bringing suspects to justice. She added that the targeting bank patrons was not a new trend. She said several gangs had taken to marking bank patrons and robbing them.

“It may be that these crimes are crimes of opportunity. In some cases the victims are business people, in other cases it might be a random house that the criminals are targeting. So to say it is one group of people targeting another, that would be untrue.”

She also warned that people who are found in possession of stolen items could be charged as a primary suspect in robbery, or could be charged with receiving stolen goods.

BATT, Crime Stoppers team up to stop bandits targeting bankers

In an advertisement appearing in newspapers on Friday, the Bankers Association of TT (BATT) and Crime Stoppers offered TT$10,000 in cash to people who could provide reliable information on any person who was engaged in robbing a bank patron.

“The Bankers Association of TT is seeking your assistance in solving a number of recent robberies related to customers en route from banks to other premises,” the ad said.

The advertisement asked would-be informants to use the 800-TIPS hotline to submit a tip or visit www.crimestopperstt.com.

Asked to comment on the collaboration, BATT communications specialist Dixie-Ann Dickson referred Newsday to a statement it released in June, highlighting the organisation’s intention to boost its security efforts to address an uptick in robberies of patrons coming out of a bank.

“In an effort to combat the uptick in these criminal activities, BATT has strengthened its co-ordination effort among all banks; broadened the interaction with the TT Police Service and is finalising its partnership with Crime Stoppers TT with a view to mitigating and or managing incidents of this nature.

“We would like to assure our clients that their safety remains a primary concern of BATT. And while we encourage clients to make greater use of our non-cash service options, we are committed to doing what we can to provide a safe environment for clients."

Director of Crime Stoppers Darrin Carmichael said he was glad the association had partnered with Crime Stoppers and said the process would be similar to reporting to the agency, which is known for its discretion.

“It is really about trying to get any information from the public that investigators can use to stop this type of crime.”

He said people can call the number or go on the website, and they can also use the P3 app, which is part of the Crime Stoppers network.

“Information that was not otherwise easily obtained was really the premise on which Crime Stoppers started,” he said.

“We tap into the public and their information and once we get that information and it results in an arrest we pay anonymously. Whether it is the general public or even people who might have been involved in that type of activity, someone ought to know something.”