Barrier to beat bank bandits

Press, 28 April 1980, Page 13

Barrier to beat bank bandits

NZPA London A new bullet-proof steel shield to protect bank tellers and cashiers from armed raids has been introduced in Britain after its successful use elsewhere in Europe. The steel shutter, according to its makers, can be put into use faster than a raider can puli the trigger of a shotgun. Working on the “jack-in-the-box” principle, . the shield is set in the counter in front of the cashier’s position and is activated by the touch of a button. It springs up and presents an armed man with a barrier capable of withstanding any known shotgun blast, and any handgun up

to and including the powerful .45 calibre Maghum.

The first shield installed in Britain is in a Surrey council’s new rates and rent office. The steel shutter is already credited with having foiled 80 attempted raids by armed gangs in Ireland and France. Apart' from its physical presence, it is said to act as a psychological 'weapon against crime.. The armed raider- is unable to see or communicate with any staff behind the barrier once it is raised, making the seizing of. hostages less likely. Staff '■ are -. no longer faced ' with looking through . the normal protective, glass screen down the barrel of a gun.