Unions are calling for the retraining of guards in crisis situations
Two security personnel guarding an armoured vehicle were injured in an explosion and bank robbery in north Edmonton on Thursday.
The security team had entered a Scotiabank branch on 160th Ave and 82nd Street to deliver money to an ATM at 2 a.m. when the explosion occurred, Edmonton police said.
An armed robber in disguise allegedly confronted a security officer before stealing an undisclosed amount of cash and fleeing from the scene. The suspect, believed to have used an improvised explosive device (IED), remains at large.
The security personnel called the police immediately.
The victims, who work for GardaWorld, were rushed to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Both are in stable condition.
Security workers’ unions have expressed concern over the incident.
“How do you even imagine or justify that someone would use an explosive device for a robbery like this?” said Wayne Garner, president of Teamsters Local 362, at a media briefing. “Was the bomb used as a means to just divert or was the bomb actually used as a weapon?”
Garner said the incident should prompt the retraining of security guards in response to crisis.
The use of explosives is rare in such incidents, according to union officials.
“Armoured car crews are professionals who put their lives on the line every day,” said Al Porter of Local Union 362, which advocates for Alberta’s security personnel for armoured vehicles. “[They] don’t expect to face IEDs when they go to work.”
