Bankers rush to learn tiger kidnap survival
RISKS: Training reveals how to outwit gangs
Wednesday November 25 2009
Bank officials, jewellers and retailers are signing up to a new tiger kidnap awareness course to protect themselves.
Figures show that kidnappings increased by 86pc in the third quarter of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008 and increased by 57pc in the past 12 months.
Sean Griffin, of Seek Academy, which is running the course, says the statistics speak for themselves.
"New criminals are coming into this style because of the amount of money that they can get out of it.
"Starting with the Northern Bank robbery [in 2004], it's been thrown out into the domain so they have the information on it."
Mr Griffin warns all workers who handle large amounts of cash to be aware that the criminals often stalk workers for days.
"The person will be under surveillance for three to four days. They'll [the criminal] spend weeks tracing people, and they'll seek someone who has the authority to have access to cash.
"It's a larger reward and you don't have the risk that would be there in branches, but instead you go out to the bankers' homes."
Banks and cash-in-transit companies have been "wising up" to the threat of tiger kidnappings, he said, and provide training for their employees.
"You're most at risk first thing in the morning, and last thing at night. First thing in the morning, people are dopey and their response times are off."
Mr Griffin said as soon as people become aware of ways to protect themselves, the tiger kidnappings will decrease dramatically.
"Awareness will kill it," he says. The Seek course was launched last Friday, and already the academy has received up to 80 phone calls from people making inquiries. The school is based in Galway and Rathfarnham, Dublin.
hnews@herald.ie
- Geraldine Gittens
