StanChart’s Holland V branch beefs up security as hunt for suspect continues

SINGAPORE — A day after a man marched up to its counter and made off with S$30,000 in a matter of minutes, the Standard Chartered (StanChart) Bank branch at Holland Village resumed its business with enhanced security, as the hunt for the suspect continued.

Bank customers and other passers-by went about their business, and the quiet calm underscored the drama from the previous day (July 7), when the area saw the first successful bank heist in Singapore in over a decade. Auxiliary police officers were seen at several bank branches in the area, including at StanChart and OCBC Bank. 

StanChart confirmed in a statement that there was no security guard present at the branch when the robbery occurred, but said it had taken “immediate actions to further enhance” security measures, without elaborating.

Other banks declined to comment on whether they had enhanced security for their branches, although UOB said all its branch employees and security personnel have been reminded to be extra vigilant.

StanChart also said it has “in-branch security measures and features”, and staff are trained to respond to such situations. 

“Yesterday, while there was no security guard present, our staff acted in accordance with protocols and in the best interests of our customers and our colleagues. Everyone was safe,” the bank said.

OCBC Bank said it has CISCO guards who are “trained and equipped to handle situations such as management of suspicious characters and armed robberies”, while DBS said that apart from having security systems in place, staff members are trained to follow security protocols “to ensure a safe and crime-free environment”. 

Mr Toby Koh, group managing director of Ademco Security Group, which manages the security of some banks here, said banks decide whether they need security guards or auxiliary police officers in their branches based on risk assessments.

Most banks are likely to at least have cameras and intrusion detection systems to meet insurance requirements, he said. They could also have a system that allows bank tellers to discreetly inform a monitoring station of a security situation, such as a panic button or a kickbar under the table.

The monitoring station will then alert the police and also contact the bank to ascertain the situation.

Adding that Singapore is “inherently safe and considered low-risk”, he said such systems would be adequate.  

As of Friday evening (July 8), the suspect was still at large and the manhunt and investigations were ongoing. TODAY understands the police had continued to interview witnesses. Meanwhile, the female teller who manned the counter at the bank has gone on leave for a few days.

A former police officer told TODAY the lack of CCTV footage or a physical description released by the police during their hunt suggested that footage collected so far was not clear enough to identify the suspect, and witnesses may be giving different descriptions of the suspect. 

“They will probably try to find footage nearby, outside the banks, near ATMs and nearby outlets, and talk to more witnesses to have a clearer description,” said the former officer who served for six years and declined to be named.

The police will also try to ascertain the route the suspect took, to find out more information like whether he drove a car and whether it was registered or stolen, added the former officer. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NG JING YNG