There is a monster amongst us that takes everything from us whenever it strikes, they take away our money, properties and even our life and loved ones. This evil has penetrated virtually every aspect of human existence. The bank is not an exception as we have been stunned with the news of bank robbery almost all the time.
During my tint in the bank, I have been engulfed in three bank robbery attacks. Two were unsuccessful and the only incident that involved shooting and explosion created a horrible picture in my head that will never be erased.
When that ugly moment comes, the only sense organ that will be left active is your ears, attempting to use your eyes can result to pulling the trigger straight to your heart. Lying on the floor is the only activity you are allowed to perform. It is a state of emergency and at that moment there are no rules, the only rule that must be obeyed is the sound of the robbers giving orders and edicts.
The effect of a bank robbery incidence takes a great toll on the bank employees and the customers in the scene. The psychological aftermath is like a nightmare, only it has to be in daydreaming fashion. It is a situation where you have lost control of your well-being, security, rights and even your life.
One would naturally expect the management of the bank to make provision for rehabilitation and recuperation from the bizarre incidence, but that’s a luxury. As soon as the air is cleared, the robbers are now gone, the damage has been done, and now it is time to count the losses.
To begin with everyone is a suspect. The first step is usually seize all personal cell phones of the employees, the right to privacy is “suspended” at this stage. All your phone calls, text messages and emails will be scrutinize in order to ascertain if there are internal complicity in the robbery. May God help you if a weird information is found on you!
While the police is performing their legal duty of “investigating” the incidence, the bank is cleaning house. Trust me when I say every actions or inactions of employees will be turned inside out, even way back up to a month and beyond before the incidence. They will try to connect all the exceptions they find with the robbery as a form of “willful negligence” to facilitate the robbery.
Now am not saying it is not possible that there is an inside job, for any robbery incidence there is always some level of information from the inside. This is what the police should figure out professionally with regards to human rights and dignity.
But what happens if there are casualties? Trust me the bank will never close shop for that! The highest you can expect is “one minute silence” with little or no compensation to the bereaved.
I have seen a situation where an operation head was suspended and nearly fired few weeks after a successful robbery incidence. But why? Some flimsy exceptions were “dug up” few months prior to the robbery incidence and it was adjudged as “negligence” that facilitated the robbery. This is a man that was nearly killed! He was bruised and harassed on that unfaithful day for refusing to allow access to the bank’s “gold mine”. An action that could be considered heroic with a crown on it.
The one very important thing that should be given attention is “rehabilitation” of the employees psychologically and emotionally after a robbery incidence, not add more to their pain! Sure the bank will open shop as soon as the damaged structure (if any) is renovated, the same survivors of the inglorious moment are expected to resume duty as if nothing happened.
I think there should be a better way of handling this situation.