In February, a man robbed an Alberta bank armed with bear spray. The thief came into the bank, jumped over the counter and ran off with an undisclosed amount of money. Luckily, the spray was not discharged. 

While surveillance caught the crime on camera, the man was masked and there have been no updates on the suspect since the robbery. So, how can you improve the security of your financial institution and ensure criminals are caught red-handed?

Here are three quick wins that will instantly enhance your security 

Incidents like this are a perfect example of when a panic button would be beneficial. Panic buttons are an effective security feature for dangers that happen while employees are on-site. 

When pressed, panic buttons send an automatic alert to monitoring centres so that your security team knows that something has gone wrong and the authorities are required. These buttons should be placed near employees who are at the front line and deal directly with clients and the general public.  

Financial institutions should also strongly consider implementing a verified security system. Unlike conventional alarms, where criminals know they have time to get out of the building before the police show up, verified alarms have an average police dispatch time of around just 3-4 minutes.

Once a Sonitrol verified alarm detects an intrusion, our 24/7 monitoring centre is notified. Our security professionals then verify that there is an intrusion taking place and alert authorities. This means, unlike conventional alarm systems which have a high false alarm rate, verified alarms are trusted. That means police will respond fast, protecting your business, your assets and your bottom line.

A criminal may have made it into your building, but with a verified alarm they will not be making it out.

An integrated security solution should also include managed access control to restrict access to sensitive areas and protect your valuable assets from external or internal theft. This form of keyless entry will allow you to limit employee access to specific rooms, meaning you will know exactly who was in a specific room at the time of a theft.

And finally, to help protect your financial institution and staff members from arson or accidental fires, you should install a fire alarm with your integrated security system. This will provide 24-hour monitoring of your smoke and heat detectors, sprinklers and pull stations. This is an important feature because the key to the prevention of loss by fire is speed and verification.

Think your financial institution is currently secure? Ensure it is and contact us today for a free security audit and to find out how we can help.