How I Rob Banks

Chapter 5High (Street) Security

With a lot of security, it is less about technology and more about the culture of an organization and the education of people.

The very nature of human beings is what often helps me to do my job. I'm lucky that my wife is a world-leading expert and author on the matter of the human side of security: this understanding is key to creating a secure environment.

No other story I have displays this better than the following anecdote.

I was tasked with gaining access to a small business. Nothing fancy; this particular site was one of many. However, unlike all the rest, this small business had maybe fewer than 10 staff, and the contents of the building were unbelievably important.

The importance and sanctity of the contents of that one tiny brick building, nestled in the heart of London, would astonish you. Hiding in plain sight, down a sweeping road near some high-profile offices, you could walk past this site a thousand times and never notice anything odd. Maybe you would eventually notice that the lower ground windows were not actually windows but bricked-up, painted façades to give the appearance of a normal townhouse.

In much the same way that some London houses are entirely fake to hide the tunnel outlets of the London Underground (55% of which is above ground), this site was a façade to an impenetrable box. The building, as I mentioned, was made of brick. The height of the roof stood above the neighboring buildings enough to prevent easy access, ...