Security and order ensured at banking institutions

Recently, criminals have led many robberies at banks. Therefore, it is very necessary to strengthen information dissemination and proactive measures to prevent. On the issue, we had a discussion with Vo Dinh Phong - Director of Binh Duong Branch State Bank (BSB).

- How do you assess the security and safety of the bank's operations in recent years?

- Banking activities are special business related money and services. Therefore, the requirements on security and operational safety have always been paid special attention by the State Bank of Vietnam which have issued many legal documents to stipulate safety conditions and standards for strict regulations, management and supervision. Accordingly, ensuring security and safety for banking operations is continual, requiring high attention and concentration. Over the past time, the ensuring of security and safety for operations at credit institutions in the province has always been of great interest and importance to the BSB and credit institutions themselves. As a result, banking activities in Binh Duong are relatively safe and stable. Although robberies inccured at banks recently in the area, the perpetrators were quickly contained thanks to the high vigilance of security guards, employees, the support of the people, especially the support of the local authorities and police.

- What are the difficulties and challenges for ensuring security and safety of banking activities today, sir?

- In addition to the achieved results, the ensuring of security and safety for banking activities in the current situation also faces some difficulties and challenges due to harsh economic situation and rising unemployment rate making law violations, social evils such as theft, robbery, etc. possibly increase due to the need of money. Robbers are increasingly aggressive and reckless to threaten or use military weapons or ready to fight back to rob or run away.

To ensure safety in transactions, the banks recommend people to prioritize non-cash payments

Compared with the past, the protection of banks has been paid more attention, but with the nature of the crime of robbing banks, there are still many credit institutions that have not met the requirements. Some banks have a small number but multi-tasking security guards without security inside and outside the transaction door to ensure immediate detection of the incident and a plan to deal with any. In addition, bank staff has not been updated regularly and lacks many skills to handle the situations and acts of robbery without knowing the methods and tricks of criminals.

- In the coming time, how should credit institutions focus on well performing the task of ensuring security and safety?

- In the coming time, credit institutions need to focus on performing a number of common tasks, of which the most important thing is that each bank needs to invest in a security system, especially camera and alarm systems and signal transmitters necessarily to be fully and modernly equipped under regular maintenance and services to check and upgrade to ensure good operations of security equipment and systems. People are also a very important factor as each bank needs to hire professional security units or build a team of security guards that are sufficient in number, healthy, and agile; security is arranged inside and outside the transaction doors without leaving the duty position and strictly complying with regulations while performing their duties. The situation should be controlled to ensure that the security guards are the ones who detect the incident immediately and have a plan to deal with it. Some branches of credit institutions need to be equipped with weapons that are allowed by law to be used by the security guards to be able to defend and prevent robberies.

In addition to proactively preventing and strengthening on-site protection, banks also need to coordinate with functional forces to regularly train staff in necessary skills to deal with robberies. In addition, it is necessary to actively coordinate with the local authorities and the police where the headquarters are located to develop protection plans and plans to prevent possible break-ins and robberies.

- What advice do you have for people to raise their awareness of vigilance and to proactively prevent risks?

- In order to raise the sense of vigilance, proactively prevent risks, and contribute to ensuring the security and safety of banking operations and for themselves, people need to increase the use of non-cash payment. On coming to the transaction offices, people need to follow the instructions and warnings of the bank about safety from the start to the end of any transaction. Another important thing, on detecting any strange or suspicious signs, people should notify the bank security force and the police for responses. People need to stay calm when faced with a situation where robbers have guns or dangerous weapons waiting for a favorable opportunity to coordinate actions with functional forces to ensure the safety of themselves as well as those around them.

- Thank you sir!

Interviewed by Thanh Hong – Translated by Vi Bao