FBI Bank Crime Statistics and the Mantrap Security Vestibule

A recent five year FBI report indicates that there were 40,672 robberies in the United States. Over $407,000,000.00 was stolen and less than 15% of that was recovered. About half of them were armed robberies. 783 people were injured during the robberies, 112 people killed, and 467 were taken hostage. These numbers do not mention the school lockdowns, the car crashes and the police chases through public streets that are attendant to these same robberies.

In the United States, the FBI maintains statistics for bank crimes, including armed and unarmed holdups, geographic distribution of the crimes and the dollar losses. The statistics are developed solely by the FBI and are an incomplete record so far as manufacturers of security vestibules and mantrap products are concerned. In the Bank Crime Statistics (BCS) published now in a quarterly document by the FBI and accessed on their website http://www.fbi.gov, holdups are recorded. But our mantrap product is lumped into a category of product that they identify as Bullet Resistant Structures. This has unnecessarily put our mantrap security vestibule into a category with Bandit Barrier and powered shields installed in or above teller lines. In this category approximately 10% to 14% of all crimes recorded in a year occur in facilities so equipped. Thus the category as a whole has a possible deterrent effect, but the FBI has taken care not to showcase one form of security device over others except by total numbers involved in crimes. They will publish absolutely no metric as to which type of crime (armed or unarmed) is perpetrated against which security device, thus disallowing a direct comparison of effectiveness against crime.

When questioned about effectiveness of our mantrap type of equipment over other forms of Bullet Resistive Barrier security, the FBI universally indicates that they may not offer a tacit testimonial or recommendation. They are aware of the different class of safety that we provide, but cannot promote one form of security over others.

Our Access Control Vestibule™ is a high security mantrap entrance and has been installed in over 800 locations in the United States and internationally over the past 20 years. We are proud that through the entire period there is no record of a successful armed robbery, when it is properly installed and operating. This translates to total and absolute armed robbery protection.

It is possible to brave the mantrap system, walk into a facility unarmed and pass a demand note. On those occasions, banks generally instruct their tellers to follow the robber’s instructions so that the person leaves the lobby as quickly and peaceably as possible. Our equipment has the ability, assuming it is pre‐approved for this use by the Police and Fire Departments, to entrap a perpetrator after he or she commits a crime, thus holding the person in the exit chamber until they are taken into custody by Law. Enforcement capability of our Access Control Vestibule™ is absolutely unique in the weapons used by financial institutions to combat crime.

Additional to basic effectiveness is the broad nature of our mantrap form of protection as contrasted by other Bullet Resistant Structures (BRS). We protect all employees and all customers to the same degree as the financial institution’s ready cash. Other products included by the FBI in the BRS classification actually enhance the possibility of customer or senior employee injury or being taken hostage by a robber. A typical tactic of an armed robber when faced with bandit barrier is to take one or more hostages to intimidate the tellers to release cash to the robber. Since most robbery proceeds today are used to refuel drug habits, having an unstable person with a gun holding hostages is a nightmare scenario for management that is wholly avoidable with our product in lieu of less effective equipment.

Our patented mantrap security vestibule is typically installed at the exterior of a facility sends a strong deterrent message to the would‐be robber even before they enter a facility. Our iconic appearance announces security to these people, suggesting that the site is highly armed and not a target for a robbery. While it is impossible to prove a negative, our experience and opinion is that mantrap vestibule protects everyone inside, deters and prevents crime far better than any product in the market place.