GUARDING BANKS

Hokitika Guardian, 30 May 1931, Page 6

GUARDING BANKS

MEASURES EMPLOYED.

ARMS KEPT ON PREMISES. Highly effective measures, employing recent scientific discoveries, are taken to protect great banks in America and Europe. Cables, front time to time have} referred to the use of concealed jets for discharging scald ing steam, and recently there was an announcement of the use of apparatus for the projection of deadly and invisible rays.

Such measures are unnecessary in New Zealand, where the community is generally law-abiding and where d perndoes ambitious enough to attempt to hold up a hank are unknown. Every reasonable precaution is taken, and there have been very few attempts .in all the Dominion’s history, at hank robbery.

Secrecy in regard to just what defensive plan is followe dis an important part of the effectiveness of these measures, and hank officers and police are rightly reticent on the matter.

SLEEPING ON PREMISES. Certain of the precautions taken “n most banks are, however, fairly widely known .One or two clerks armed with loaded revolvers, sleep on the premises of every bank. For the younger members of the staff, who may not be of a •par) cularly adventurous type. tins duty could he worrying. Some young men, finding it impassible to sleep and overwhelmed with responsibility, havti been known to keep all-night vigils, suggestion have been made that nervous youths should he released from this duty ,but as a hanking officer pointed out, care is taken that no employee likely to be nervous is selected to sleep on the premises, as it would be contrary to the bank’s interests to have as its guardian anyone who could nor be relied upon to act with coolness and decision in a time of emergency. As a rule, in the country branches of banks, the manager’s residence is within the building.

USE OF TWO KEYS. It is a general practice to have two keys to the most important doors in the hanks, so that they cannot be opened unless two specially selected members of the staff are present. Spare keys are also sometimes locked away securely, so that while easily available in the case of loss, they are safe from theft.

Loaded revolvers are kept in all hanks, even in the smallest branch offices. In Sydney, clerks engage in special target practice' but in New Zealand the number of officer-trained returned. soldiers among employees would ensure that any bandit would come up against skilled opposition. In one New Zealand hank office a gallery runs round the walls above the. ground floor. Revolvers are concealed in the gallery, and is considered that it would he impossible for the hank to he held up, owing to the ease with which intruders could be attacked from above. "While the New Zealand banks are adequately protected, the need for such protection is, happily, small compared with that existing in older lands.