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Friday 14 March, 2008GMB & security industry ask EU Commission for support76% of Cash & Valuables in Transit (CVIT) attacks recorded in the EU occur in the UK
GMB, the Union for security workers and the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) will make a presentation today (Friday 14th March 2008) at a conference in Brussels setup by the EU Commission to discuss workplace violence across Europe. GMB and the BSIA believe that the joint engagement of the UK Home Office and the Police with the industry and trade union has been paramount in reducing the number of violent attacks on security staff in the last seven months of 2007, compared to the same month the previous year. However, we will be looking for guidance from Europe to bring the level of attacks further down in line with the rest of Europe. GMB and BSIA will be jointly pressing for the EU Commission’s support in combating the violence against security workers as 76% of Cash & Valuables in Transit (CVIT) attacks recorded in the EU occur in the UK.
Figures released by the British Security Industry Association earlier this year show a 28% drop in cash-in-transit attacks since the implementation of a proactive partnership initiative between the Police, the GMB trade union, and the banking, retail and security industries, which has been strongly supported by Government Ministers.
Gary Smith, GMB National Secretary for Security workers said, “We will tell the EU Commission, politicians and our European counterparts of what we have achieved in the UK to date. But we will also emphasize that there is a long way to go and that the current level of attacks in the UK is unacceptable and out of kilter with the rest of the EU. GMB has members whose lives have been destroyed by their experiences of violent crime while doing their security jobs. GMB is calling on the EU Commission to learn from the UK experience and to support our continuing programme.”
Tim Thomas, Director of Legal Services for the BSIA, comments, “The partnership work that we are now seeing in the UK is something that the BSIA and GMB have long campaigned for. We will be holding this work up as an example for all to learn from in Europe and ask the EU Commission to support our work in combating cash-in-transit crime, which is certainly far from over."
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