Over the last couple of months there has been an alarming increase in the number of armed robberies at licensed venues across the country. Venues need to be aware of the risks and have a strong and clear strategy in place to protect employees.
So the question is, how would your club or venue – and more importantly, your staff – manage an armed robbery?
- Are you a hard or soft target?
(Hard targets are far less attractive options for offenders.) - Do you have good cash handling procedures, known by all staff?
- Are staff trained in cash handling and security risk management practices as well as armed robbery response training?
- Are there security routines for opening, closing and operating hours?
- Do you test and check ongoing security practices and procedures?
- Do you have a system of identification, reporting and recording of security incidents?
- What support is in place for your employees to deal with the situation?
Not every situation can be prevented, but as an employer you have the legal obligation to minimise the risk to your employees and be prepared. There are a number of steps that an employer should be planning and implementing to minimise your risk of being a target, raising awareness of your staff and ensuring that support structures are ready to be activated if a robbery happens at your venue.
Our training and risk audits will assist you to cover your WHS and security obligations and make your venue less attractive to potential robbery.
These are some of the areas that you should take into consideration to minimise the risk to the health and safety of your employees.
For further information about how to prepare your venue in case of an armed hold up, contact Michelle Pitman, DWS Safety & Compliance Advisor on 0401 014 619 or michelle@dws.net.au
