Written by Sam Ekinci, CEO of Allied Risk Solutions
Most people believe an armed robbery is something that happens somewhere else.
Until it happens to them.
In nearly 30 years working across policing and risk management in Australia, I have attended countless armed robbery incidents and seen firsthand the impact they have on victims, businesses, and the people who were simply doing their jobs when it happened.
For me, this topic also became deeply personal. My own daughter was involved in an armed robbery at work. As a police officer, I understood the procedures. As a father, I saw the emotional impact, the fear, the loss of confidence, the anxiety that follows long after the offender has left.
That experience is part of why I do this work. And it is why I am clear about what armed robbery training actually is.
It is not about creating fear. It is about creating confidence.
The gap that puts organisations at risk
When something goes wrong, your people do not rise to the occasion. They fall back to their training.
The question that matters is not whether an armed robbery could happen in your environment. In high-traffic, cash-handling venues and businesses, the risk is real and it exists regardless of how well-run the operation is.
The question is whether your team would know exactly what to do.
Most organisations assume the answer is yes. Many find out it is not at the worst possible moment.
A team that has been properly prepared does not just know a procedure. They carry themselves differently. They understand their environment. They recognise risk before it escalates. And when something does happen, they respond with calm and purpose rather than panic.
That confidence is not something people are born with. It is built through training that is specific, practical, and relevant to the environment they are actually working in.
What prepared looks like
Armed robbery safety training gives your team a clear framework for three distinct phases.
Before an incident. Understanding the environment, recognising the warning signs, and knowing what controls reduce risk in your specific setting.
During an incident. What to do, what not to do, and how to keep themselves and the people around them as safe as possible. This is where most untrained teams struggle — not because they are incapable, but because they have never had the opportunity to think it through before the moment arrives.
After an incident. How to manage the immediate aftermath, what to report, how to support colleagues, and how to begin the recovery process. An armed robbery is more than a security event. It is a people event. And how your organisation responds in the hours and days that follow has a lasting impact on the wellbeing of everyone involved.
What I consistently see in the room after this training is a shift. People who walked in unsure walk out with a framework they trust. That clarity is what gives them the confidence, and it is what gives you confidence in them.
The best time to prepare is before it happens
The organisations that respond best to critical incidents are not necessarily the ones with the thickest policy manuals or the most sophisticated security systems.
They are the ones whose people were prepared before the incident ever occurred.
If your venue, club, or business has not conducted armed robbery safety training recently (or has never done it at all) the time to address that is now.
When was the last time your team was trained to confidently handle a situation like this?
If you cannot answer that quickly, it is worth starting the conversation.
Get in touch with Allied Risk Solutions to find out what armed robbery safety training looks like for your organisation.