Monaco’s Director of Public Security asserts that the Principality is a very open country, and that good preventive measures alone allow bank security to be maintained. Interview.
It’s a fact that bank robbery has become a professional exercise, a speciality. Do you believe that banks here in Monaco are adequately protected?
Fortunately we have not suffered any attacks on financial establishments here in the Principality. But to ensure that this situation lasts it’s vital that all concerned take into account the question of security of access by installing deterrent systems to make any attack difficult. Three years ago, in a consultative role and with the agreement of the AMAF, we took the initiative of making security audits of all the financial establishments in Monaco. In some cases there was absolutely nothing to criticize, while in others our diagnosis led to certain improvements being made. It’s important for us to ensure that managers realize that the high level of security we enjoy here in the Principality shouldn’t lead to neglect of security measures that are essential in this type of activity. So for example in banks it was necessary to evaluate the physical security measures designed to prevent armed robbery, or at least to ensure the level of protection was sufficient to deter criminals from envisaging such a project. Then, because this is a field where one should never be over-confident, if an attack should occur we have defined the attitud to be adopted by staff, who should never put their lives in danger to protect material assets. Nobody knows how they will react when a gun is pointed at them.
Has a more concerted strategy been set up in Monaco between the banks, the police and private security companies?
Yes. Since 2007 the AMAF, the security companies (particularly those transporting cash) and the police forces have been working together to improve the situation. This joint effort was triggered by the local situation and not by any specific incident.
To begin with, we simply observed the banks, starting with the idea that even if we are here in Monaco, a country with a very high level of security, and even if all the banks have alarms directly connected to the police, the system could still be improved. We therefore looked at the whole of the chain, from delivery of funds through to the way clients entered the bank.
So cash transport and delivery have been reviewed and made more secure, and procedures for reacting to alerts have been reviewed. Today you no longer see security guards in the street openly carrying tens of thousands of euros. Now they use secure systems (coded cases with inking systems to mark notes).
What physical security systems do you recommend for financial establishments?
Experience shows that the first priority is controlling access to premises. So an effective security vestibule is an essential element for the first level of protection. It allows entries and exits to be filtered, and by its very operation it obliges staff to follow the filtering procedures laid down by management.
It’s a strongly dissuasive system against violent attacks on financial establishments. Depending on the quality or level of the clientele, it’s up to the bank itself to decide how to manage certain personal relationships, but public access to a cash desk must involve some necessary stages of close surveillance.
Another point to be made secure is access to cash, the target of possible attacks. There must be physical protection systems, and the sums kept in the cash desk should be small so as to create an unfavourable ratio between the risk run by a robber and the possible loot.
In the arrangements we have made with the banks we have also organized confirmation procedures following alarm triggering. This happens about 900 times a year. This figure has been considerably reduced thanks to the work done by the AMAF and the heads of the banking sector. Luckily, up till now we have only had false alarms. However we react as if they were genuine, with no preconceived ideas as to the situation. So for example we contact a person designated in advance by the bank, so as to avoid a scenario whereby someone who was a hostage inside the establishment could send just anybody to tell us that all was well. After that we proceed with the security check.
Are robberies frequent in the Principality?
Luckily, no. Indeed so far there have been no bank robberies at all. But we have to be aware that this is a very open country, and that good preventive measures alone will enable us to maintain this situation. For us the first stage was to render cash transport secure; that’s done. Attacking an armoured vehicle is difficult and very risky in Monaco. The same is true of attacks on automatic teller machines, which are today a favourite target for criminals. Nowadays it would be extremely difficult to rob a bank in this country, provided the basic measures I’ve already mentioned are taken. However, we must remain vigilant and not exclude anything out of hand. We are working to put in place obstacles that would be complementary to our surveillance of the territory and would make it very difficult to carry out attacks. We have developed very close relationships between the police and the financial establishments, making Monaco a very well-protected financial centre.
I would conclude by saying that, in the framework of our respective activities, all of us are jointly responsible for the security of our country – and everyone knows that this is an important factor in making it such an attractive place.
