OT - Robberies

[DerbyBorn]

A local garage has been robbed again as a staff member was cashing up. Traumatic and risky - Scum got money they didn't earn.

What annoys the hell out of me is why does any business ever need more than about 50 accessable to burglars. Surely safes with one-way letterboxes (that I recall using 40 years ago) are still available.

Even my local Homebase proudly displays loads of cash whenever the till is opened.

Our local chippy has been hit many times.

We have not moved with the times much. I really don't want evil bastards getting money for nothing.

[Bob Eager]

Indeed. And I have seen garages using them.

I worked at a garage some 43 years ago and we did exactly this (our limit then was £40 in the till). Excess was put in a cylindrical tin and dropped down a hole into a safe. The keys to the safe were never on site exceot during normal working hours, and used at random times to open the safe.

I was robbed at about 10 p.m. one evening, and they got about £20.

[Adrian C]

The local morrisons now have very visible till safes on all of the checkouts, the staff post notes directly into the unit from customers - and it looks like the safe unit has internal gubbins (well, flashing lights) to verify notes for value and stop forgeries being accepted.

What's in the drawer is for giving change.

Before this, they had a pneumatic tube system shooting canisters about.

[Nightjar]

Sometimes, allowing them to get away with money is better than the alternative. For example, it well established that if cars are too secure, the owners are likely to get mugged for the keys. Similarly, if the local chippy fits a money safe, that could lead to violence against the staff to find out where the key is, even if they really don't know. Property can be replaced; that is what insurance is for. Injuries can be for life. Better, perhaps, to fit really good CCTV and hope the criminals can be identified.

Colin Bignell

[Bill Wright]

If we all did that crime would be rife.

Bill

[DerbyBorn]

Bill Wright wrote in news:kt15bj$iga$ [e-mail]:

Surely safer to let crimals know that the crime is futile as there is little cash available; CCTV is fitted: Smartwater and dyes are used. Surely they will avoid such a place.

[spuorgelgoog]

My 'local' Tesco extended its pneumatic tube system all the way under the car park to reach the petrol station.

Owain

[Huge]

Robbers are very, very stupid.

[spuorgelgoog]

Most petty criminals are thick and/or on drugs.

A google for 'broke into police station' produces a surprisingly large number of results.

Owain

[Steve Firth]

I've seen worse. Burglars who broke into an Army office. They really seemed to believe that a) the Army don't have guns b) if they did have guns they would not be loaded c) all the Army can do is call the civilian cops d) reports of the brutality of redcaps are over rated.

Boy were they wrong on every count.

[ARW]

A place full of corrupt criminals.

[Nightjar]

Only the clever ones and they won't be involved in that sort of crime in the first place. The thick ones may well think that the staff have some control over the security measures.

My point is that you need to look at the possible consequences of any apparently simple solution. Some years ago I was recruited to a government think tank looking into future developments of crime and part of the orientation was telling us of many cases of unintended consequences, such as the mugging of car owners mentioned above. The guiding principle was that crimes against property should always be preferred over crimes against the person.

Colin Bignell

[michael newport]

Well crime is so low the governent are going to do something about it by letting the cream of Bugeria and Rumania (sic) into Britain on Jan

1st next. That'll be fun. And after all, when it all goes terwwibly wrong it'll be really easy to get them to leave.

[Matty F]

Two people have tried to rob the same gun shop using only a machete and a knife. The first guy got shot by the owner. The owner was charged with possession of a firearm without lawful, proper or sufficient purpose.

[Gazz]

hmmmm.... robber on other side of counter demanding money, chip shop worker says 'just a sec, i'll get it out the safe' reaches down for a scoop/ladle/or similar, gets a good scoop of nice hot oil, and accidentally chucks the oil in the robbers face,

never mind your smart water, that lowlife scum will be easy to spot in future,

[Nightjar]

On 28/07/2013 18:27, Gazz wrote: ..

Chip shop worker goes down for GBH.

Colin Bignell

[SteveW]

Possibly, but also possibly "spur of the moment; threatened; self-defence; no pre-meditation; fear"

SteveW

[DerbyBorn]

SteveW wrote in news:kt53dc$8t3$1@dont- email.me:

Back to the plot though - why don't businesses make more use of things like time locked safes and secure means of depositing notes so that they are not left in the till? Insurers should make it mandatory.

[Jethro_uk]

Cost ?

That would require *all* insurers making it mandatory. Otherwise one underwriter will just capitalise on businesses that don't want to pay for such measures with a cheaper premium with loads of exclusion clauses. So you are effectively talking about mandating by law - just what every small business needs.

Interestingly enough, I was in a Subway a few months ago, and it wasn't till I went to pay that I saw the small "cash only" notice. Luckily I had enough cash, but it struck me that it was the best advert to all and sundry that the place might have a large (for some values of large) amount of cash somewhere on the premises. I hope they pay their evening shift staff more ....

[Gazz]

i'd guess for most businesses it'd cost more to install the extra security than the cost of a couple of robberies,