POLICE are advising the public to utilise a reliable private security service when taking large sums of money out of the bank.

Police PRO Joanne Archie on Friday told Newsday that having security was one of the methods that could be used for safety when banking.

“I advise people in going to make a large deposit to probably secure the service of a reputable security company,” Archie said. “You could also secure the assistance of the police.”

The advice came days after the wife of NIB Chairman Patrice Ferreira was attacked and robbed of $3 shortly after she left a bank.

According to reports at about 12.15 pm on Wednesday Carla Ferreira left an RBC Royal Bank branch near West Mall and went to her home in Westmoorings. She parked her car in the driveway and through her side mirrors saw two men jumping over her gate.

The assailants ran up to the car, smashed her window, punched her in the face and snatched her handbag before escaping.

On her social media account she said she had gone to the bank but after feeling faint she decided to go home and conduct her business another time. She revealed that she only had $3 in her bag at the time.

On August 12, a businessman was robbed of US$9,000 and TT$2,000 by two masked bandits in Arima. He told police he got the cash from the bank and went to the supermarket, but as he parked his vehicle he was ambushed by the two men, one of whom was armed with a gun.

In July a 49-year-old man was robbed of $150,000 in cash which he withdrew from a bank in San Juan. He took out the cash from a bank on Eastern Main Road, and when he got to his La Canoa Road home in Santa Cruz, five armed men ambushed him and relieved him of the cash, credit cards and debit cards.

Archie: Be observant

Archie said among the many "target-hardening" strategies – ways to avoid being a "soft" target – that people should utilise, the best among them was simply being observant.

“You go into the bank and you withdraw large sums of cash and you are just walking around or going to your vehicle, you have to be aware of your surroundings.

“Increasing your personal awareness is the most effective form of self-defence.”

Other methods included avoiding having a strict schedule that could be monitored and anticipated and avoiding having other people make deposits for you.

For business owners she advised that people do thorough background checks on their staff.

“They can watch your movements and say on a Friday they pay salary, or every evening, or every Tuesday. So you have to look at your employees too. Do thorough background checks if possible.”

At the home she said to make sure that CCTV cameras were working, and to avoid using “sham” cameras – cameras that only appear to be working.

“You can also be part of neighbourhood watch groups which have proven to be very useful. If there are strangers or suspicious people in the area, information is shared in a timely manner and, in many cases, there are police officers living in the area in those groups too. So that is a very effective initiati