ARMED ROBBERY SAFETY TIPS

Armed robbery is the crime of taking anything of value by use of force, firearms or other weapons such as machetes and knives. The criminals use their weapons to intimidate or threaten their victims into compliance.

One of the mostly committed crimes involving use of firearms in Kenya is robbery with Nairobi experiencing more incidents. Targets for robbery with violence are mainly economic goods including money. The targets are commercial premises, residential homes, streets and highways, churches and social premises and petrol stations. Robbery with violence takes place all the time. This year in the lead up to Christmas you are notified to take special care. Don not keep large sums of cash on site. According to statistics at least five incidents are recorded in Nairobi on a daily basis. Most happen at night, after sunset and before sunrise.

The threat of armed robbery in Nairobi is high and if involved in any please following the following steps:-

DO’S

? Stay calm

? Focus on the detail about the robber. You’ll need to describe the suspect when filing your report.

? Let the robber known that you intend to cooperate

? Follow orders calmly and quietly

? Activate the alarm after the robbers escape.

? Call the police even after activating the alarm.

? Note the means and the direction of the robber’s escape

DON’TS

? Don’t resist.

? Don’t scream or call attention to the situation.

? Don’t argue or fight back.

? Don’t assume a gun is fake or that the robber is not willing to pull the trigger.

? Don’t outwardly panic.

? Don’t follow an escaping robber.

Deter

Security measures

Deter or discourage unauthorized people from attempting to gain unauthorized access to your facility. Implement measures that unauthorized people perceive as too difficult or needing special tools and training to defeat. For example, barriers, access control, guards and public visibility. Do not tell people you are holding cash or valuables. If you are going to have valuables, ensure you engage a reputable security provider to protect your assets.

Detect

Detect unauthorized access as early as possible. Implement measures to work out whether an unauthorized action is occurring or has occurred. For example, security guards, CCTV, alarms and public visibility.

Delay

Delay an unauthorized access attempt for as long as possible to allow an effective security response to be activated. Implement measures to slow the progress of a harmful event. Ensure you have an active, working panic system.

Respond

An effective response counters the anticipated activity of an unauthorized person within a time appropriate to the delay measures. Prepare measures to prevent, resist, or mitigate the impact of an attack or event.

Recover

Take the steps required to recover from a security incident. Plan to restore operations to as near normal as possible in a timely manner following an incident.

 Remember your life is more important than the money or valuables.

Always make Safety your number one priority. Safety and security is both an individual and collective responsibility and starts with Me/You/Us.

You can click here to watch my holiday safety video