Liquor store staff trained to deal with armed robbery

(CNS): With the surge in violent armed robberies on the island, local liquor supplier, Cayman Distributors Group, recently sent its Blackbeard’s and Big Daddy’s store staff on a training course to help prepare them in the event of a robbery. The booze firm said the safety and security of customers and staff is a priority, so along with the installation of security systems, the staff attended an Armed Robbery Compliance Seminar by the Security Centre Limited. “Preparing participants on how to act, react, and respond to an armed robbery situation goes a long way in assisting with the investigation,” said Frank Brennan, Vice President-Operations at TSCL.

“We commend businesses like Blackbeard’s and Big Daddy’s for taking the initiative to better prepare their staff and help keep them safe,” he said, adding that staff were given safety tips that they can implement every day. The ARCS course is a mixture of interactive discussion, and practical exercises.

Cindy Downing, HR Manager at Cayman Distributors Group, said that being more observant and remembering finer details will better prepare staff if ever they are in a situation where they have to describe a suspect. “We hope these are skills we never have to rely on, but we feel confident knowing our staff is equipped with the proper tools in case a situation arises. This training also compliments the surveillance systems we have installed in stores so we can better protect customers and staff,” she added.

The ARCS course is co-facilitated by Brennan, who brings 23 years of combined experience in law enforcement and the security industry, and James Strawson, who is responsible for Special Services and Investigations at The Security Centre. Strawson brings several years experience in Close Protection in the Middle East for an internationally recognised Privatized Military Company contracted to provide protection and logistics in war torn areas.

The Security Centre Limited has always offered Armed Robbery Compliance Seminars, but the company said demand has increased as of late. “With so many businesses being broken into recently, the number of training inquiries has increased,” says Strawson, “It’s good to see that employers want to protect their staff and make sure they are prepared and know how to react in a robbery situation.”