APPENDIX 19
Memorandum submitted by the British Security
Industry Association
BACKGROUND
The British Security Industry Association (BSIA)
is the trade association covering all aspects of the professional
security industry in the UK. Its 570+ members provide over 70%
of UK security products and services and adhere to strict quality
standards. This includes the Cash and Valuables in Transit sector
(CVIT) which provides secure cash carrying services.
The BSIA represents all the major CVIT companies:
Group4Securicor, Securitas, Brinks, Security Plus, Via-Mat International,
United Co-operatives and Post Office Cash Handling. These companies
make in excess of 100,000 deliveries each day using specially
adapted and armoured vehicles, with a value of some £1.5
billion per day. This is recognised as a crucially important public
service, ensuring the availability of cash on which the banking
and "high street" economy depends.
The importance of the sector and its services
to the community is underlined by it being the only private sector
security service to be specifically included in the Civil Contingencies
Act.
PARKING RESTRICTIONS
The main issue for CVIT companies in respect
to parking restrictions is the threat to the health and safety
of the general public and their employees, which is greatly increased
if armoured vehicles have to park some distance from their delivery
destination. There were 760 CVIT attacks in the UK last year and
505 of these involved physical attacks on the courier during the
transfer from vehicle to destination. Members of the public are
also often involved. In a majority of these offences a weapon
was present and a firearm was seen on 240 occasions. Five couriers
and two members of the public were shot (one fatally) in 2004
during CVIT robberies. To date in 2005 six couriers and one member
of the public have been shot.
CURRENT POLICY
We commend the intention of the Transport Select
Committee to look at inconsistencies in the application of parking
restrictions, and strongly believe that statutory regulation would
be beneficial. Under current policy, each local authority makes
its own decision as to whether to exempt "bullion vehicles"
(which includes all CVIT vehicles) from parking restrictions.
A few local authorities have recognised the potential dangers
inherent in restricting parking for these vehicles and provide
exemptions. However, the industry has to liaise with each authority
separately on this issue and, as the Committee will readily recognise,
in Greater London alone there are 33 boroughs, and Transport for
London. A large number of boroughs do not recognise the unique
nature of this work, not its importance to their local economy
and issue parking tickets to "bullion" vehicles in significant
numbers at a cost, in a full year, of some £500,000 in London
alone.
Cardiff City Centre—case study
An example of the problems inherent in such
an approach is the situation which has arisen in Cardiff. Here,
the local authority made the decision (without any consultation
with the sector) to restrict all vehicles from entering Queen
Street between the hours of 10 am and 5.30 pm. Despite a number
of discussions with the Council and a slight change in the hours
to 10 am to 5.00 pm this means that the CVIT deliveries to banks
and retailers in Queen Street must all take place in a time window
of 9.00 am and 10.00 am. This completely contradicts crime prevention
advice and acknowledged good security practice that requires CVIT
companies to vary their delivery times and routes to make them
less predictable and therefore much more difficult for criminals
to plan attacks. At present this situation remains unresolved.
This means couriers will be forced to undertake lengthy delivery
routes from vehicle to customer premises with all the attendant
risks to them and the public at large in a busy, city centre shopping
street, especially during the Christmas period.
POLICE SUPPORT
The CVIT sector receives very good operational
support from the Police in combating CVIT attacks and they are
broadly supportive of the industry's argument for exemption from
parking restrictions in order to provide a safer service for the
public and businesses. The following comment comes from DC Alan
Townsend from the Metropolitan Police Service Flying Squad: "The
Metropolitan Police Flying Squad work closely with the BSIA and
CVIT industry. As a result of their concerns about the increase
of CVIT robberies they have commissioned a problem profile on
CVIT robberies which is shortly to be published." The Committee
may wish also to bear in mind that, whilst traditionally, CVIT
attacks were concentrated in a number of urban "hotspots",
intensive cooperation between the carrying companies and the various
police forces has resulted, in recent months, in a significant
displacement of attacks to force (and local authority) areas surrounding
those hotspots.
TRADES UNIONS
SUPPORT
The trades unions representing sector employees
are also supportive of the industry's argument for exemption from
parking restrictions, as it creates a safer working environment
for their people. A recent fringe meeting at the Labour Party
Conference was arranged by the GMB and provided an opportunity
to discuss these issues with Ministers and MPs. Hazel Blears MP
expressed the Government's desire to work with the industry and
the Police to help reduce CVIT attacks.
THE CUSTOMER
AND THE
COMMUNITY
The amount of actual cash in circulation (despite
the burgeoning use of charge and credit cards) is some £35
billion which represents the highest amount to date. Forecasts
suggest that the amount will continue to increase for at least
the next six years. The CVIT sector's customer base—banks,
other financial institutions, currency and bullion dealers, the
high street retail sector and many others—all require regular,
reliable, and safe cash distribution and replenishment services.
It is therefore little wonder that the physical availability of
large and concentrated amounts of cash attracts very significant,
often violent and sadly, sometimes fatal, attacks. The sector
spends some £120 million per year on security vehicles and
at least £20 million on security support and training. It
is possible for the whole of that investment, not to mention police
involvement, to be put at risk by causing the extended exposure
of cash and people to (often much) longer deliveries on foot,
caused solely by parking restrictions.
The Committee will also recognise both additional
costs to the public purse of the police investigation and subsequent
trial if detection results. To those costs can be added the NHS
costs of treating victims, the costs to couriers and their families
and to the companies of lengthy sickness and injury payments.
This is truly a case of prevention being better than cure!
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we are grateful to the Transport
Select Committee for their enquiry into this subject and support
the need for statutory regulation. We urge consideration to be
given to exempting "bullion vehicles" from parking restrictions
in order for them to park as close to their delivery destination
as is safely possible. This would help to reduce the number of
CVIT attacks, thereby protecting both couriers and the general
public.
December 2005
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