Are banks and retailers giving enough attention to the armed robbery awareness training of their staff?
In recent months, one opens any newspaper or listens to news bulletins and there are reports of armed robberies where people are being injured and killed. To a large extent these armed robberies target banks, retail outlets and cash-in-transit carriers.
If one looks at law and policy, an employer is under a duty to refrain from injuring or harming the employee and thus providing a safe working environment. This duty operates both in contract and delict. In delict it is no different from the duty of care each member of society owes another.
The health and safety of employees is regulated under the Occupational health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 (OHSAct). The Act read with the regulations thereto imposes a general statutory duty on an employer to provide and maintain as is ‘reasonably practicable’, a working environment that is safe and without risk to the ‘health and safety’ of employees.
Employers are also obliged, as regulated in Section 8(1)(e), to provide such information, instruction, ‘training’ and supervision as may be necessary to ensure, as far as is ‘reasonably practicable’, the health and safety at work of its employees. The King Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2002 (King Report) also needs to be considered.
Section 2 of the Report deals with risk management, it being also dealt with in item 3 of the Code of Corporate Practices and Conduct. Although the code only applies to listed companies, financial institutions and public sector enterprises, all companies are encouraged to adhere thereto. In essence, the board of directors of a company is responsible for assessing risks to the business on an ongoing basis, and then designing, implementing and monitoring a process of risk management and integrating it into day-to-day activities of the company.
Section 4 of the report deals with integrated sustainability reporting. It being taken up in item 5 of the code. The essence of these provisions is that every company should report at least annually on the nature and extent of its safety and health policies and practices and what health and safety training has been conducted. On a proper interpretation of the OHSAct, its scope is such as to cover the danger, hazards and risks occasioned by armed robberies in the workplace, the act provides the simplest and most compelling foundation for the need for training in armed robbery survival skills.
The important issue is that employers must in terms of the OHSAct and the King Report, conduct a proper assessment of their risks, on an ongoing basis, and then responsibly decide whether precautionary measures are called for. If the decision is in favour of such measures, then an Armed Robbery Survival Skills course would be an excellent mechanism for dealing with what is, unfortunately, a prevalent problem in our country.
It is a worrying factor that the retail and bank industries appear, in our experience, to show minimal interest in training their frontline staff, cashiers and tellers, in armed robbery awareness, even though there are Seta accredited training providers who present these courses. The armed robbery awareness training programme is a seven hour programme that can be broken up into sessions in order to accommodate operational requirements and can be presented at the workplace. There is now even an on-line training programme. The training programmes includes identifying indications that an armed robbery could take place and therefore sounding an early alarm, immediate action drills to be followed during and after an armed robbery, post trauma, suspect, vehicle and weapon identification, opening and closing procedures.
These training programmes are pro-active in preventing an armed robbery taking place by identifying the indications, preparing employees of what to expect during an armed robbery and reducing the trauma of an armed robbery. They instil employee self-confidence in dealing with such a situation and contribute to the prevention of serious injury and even death.
Michael Broughton, the director of the Crime Prevention Programme at the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, states that the greatest threat to the retail sector are armed robberies and there is a concern not only to protect the stores stock, but also the lives of staff, management and consumers in the store. He goes on to say that there is nothing more frightening and psychologically disturbing for the victims concerned.
It is unfortunate that we have found that there appears an apathy within the retail and banking sectors to train their frontline staff (especially cashiers and tellers) in accredited Seta Armed Robbery Survival skills training. There are of course exceptions, but these appear to be in the minority.
For more information contact Terry Scallan, South African Institute of Security, +27 (0)72 231 4557.
Footnote: Errol Peace and Terry Scallan are security skills training and development consultants who have specialised in armed robbery awareness training. They are both governors on the Board of the South African Institute of Security.
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