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knowledge shop security
ttglive.com
Crime prevention
Don’t be a
hero: stay safe
Incidents of armed robbery in agencies are less commonplace than they used to be,
but recent events prove they do still occur. Olivia Hemmings finds out how agents
can minimise risks – and how they should act in a dangerous situation
N
o one likes to think of themselves Mike Monk (facing page) is head of finance
being involved in a violent crime at Abta. He has compiled a guide on security
– and many people think “it in the workplace, which can be downloaded
won’t happen to me”. from the members’ area of the Abta website.
But while the number of violent robberies He says: “It isn’t possible to eliminate
in travel agencies has fallen significantly in the risk of crime completely, but by taking
recent years, there is no harm in being well some simple security measures and being
prepared for such an incident. prepared, you can reduce the number of
The recent story of armed robbers in incidents. The most important thing is not
Cheshire, who held a machete to the head of to put yourself or your colleagues in danger
a Thomson agent as they attempted to steal by taking risks.”
money from the foreign exchange bureau,
serves as a reminder that serious crime, Don’t be a crime-friendly shop
while rare, unfortunately still occurs. Some of Monk’s top tips for helping to
Last month, two criminals were sent to prevent crimes of this nature include:
prison after robbing two Thomas Cook ■ Don’t invite crime by keeping objects
branches in September last year. such as handbags or wallets in view of
34 05.06.2009
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