Banking and finance

Banks, building societies and cash handling sites face armed robbery, ram raids and skilled burglary. Armed robbery, ram raids and skilled burglary set the threat; ballistic glazing, rated doors and vehicle barriers answer it, specified for UK branches and cash offices.

• FB4 to FB7Ballistic classes for counters and cash offices
• BR1 to BR7Ballistic glass ratings to EN 1063
• SR3 to SR4Forced entry ratings for shutters and vaults
• PAS 68Tested barriers for ATMs and branches

The threats banking premises face

The defining threat in banking is armed robbery. Branch counters, cash desks and foreign exchange booths put staff within reach of an attacker, and the screen between them has to stop the weapons the threat assessment names. This is the world of ballistic ratings, not just forced entry.

Ram raids target ATMs and branch frontages. Vehicles are driven at the machine, the wall around it or the entrance, and the attack is over in minutes. Standalone ATMs in walls and through-the-wall machines in shopping parades are attacked with cutting tools, gas and heavy vehicles.

Burglary takes the quieter routes: roof voids, rear doors and adjoining premises. Cash offices, safes and server rooms are the objectives. Skimming and cyber attack sit outside a physical specification, which covers the building, the counter line and the cash journey from the street to the safe.

Everything in a bank branch connects. The ballistic screen is useless if the door beside it is standard. The ATM surround is useless if the wall it sits in can be pulled down. Specify the counter, the doors, the glazing and the barriers as one system.

Match the frame to the glass. Ballistic glazing only performs in a frame tested to the same class. Specify the glazing, its framing and the doorset together to EN 1522, and ask for test evidence covering the assembly.

The standards and guidance for banking

Ballistic ratings are the core reference. EN 1522 classes FB1 to FB7 cover doors, windows and shutters against weapons from .22 LR up to 7.62 x 51 hard core, with an NS suffix where no splinters may leave the protected face. EN 1063 classes BR1 to BR7 cover the glass itself, plus SG1 and SG2 for shotgun.

LPS 1175 covers forced entry for shutters, grilles, doors and the branch envelope. SR3 resists five minutes against crowbars, drills and chisels; SR4 resists ten minutes against sledgehammers, disc cutters and jigsaws. Night safes, cash offices and vault approaches typically specify in this range.

Vehicle impact ratings to PAS 68, IWA 14-1 and ISO 22343-1 cover the bollards and barriers that protect ATMs and branch frontages. Each rating states the vehicle mass, impact speed, impact angle and penetration distance.

Banking zone by zone

Follow the cash: from the street, through the counter line, to the cash office and the safe. Each zone below names the threat and the rating to start from.

Specification mistakes to avoid in banking

• Ballistic glass in an ordinary frame. The most expensive mistake in bank specification. The frame, the fixings and the surrounding wall must meet the same class as the glass, or the assembly fails where it is weakest.
• Protecting the ATM and not the wall. Attackers go through the wall beside a well-protected machine. Rate the surround, or move the machine to a position where the structure helps.
• Screens staff cannot talk through. A counter screen that blocks sound gets propped open or worked around. Specify speech transfer as part of the ballistic assembly so the screen stays closed in use.
• Forgetting the cash journey. Cash moves from the street to the counter to the office to the safe. Every door on that route needs its rating, including the unglamorous rear doors and corridors.
• Barriers that stop cars but not the approach. A barrier rated at 48 km/h on a road that allows 80 is underspecified. Check the real approach speed and the vehicle impact rating together.

Frequently asked questions