SBRC and RBS workshops take on financial crime
Police Scotland and the Scottish government’s business resilience delivery arm has teamed up with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to help further protect customers from the growing threat of fraud.
Experts from the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) recently held workshops with RBS employees to open a dialogue about the complex issues facing banks, improving the security of customer’s assets and details.
A series of four workshops, led by Graham Vance of SBRC and Laura Jamieson of Trading Standards Scotland helped train 38 RBS banking employees through engaging in expert advice and a series of practical activities.
Having spent 30 years with Strathclyde Police, Graham worked a spell with RBS in the role of head of protective services before moving to the SBRC as financial resilience manager.
Graham said:
“We were delighted to be given the opportunity to work with RBS to help engage banking staff with the issue of customer protection.
“Their company already has in place an industry leading mechanism for reporting suspicions of weakness in their business so we knew they would be perfect for drawing attention to the kinds of financial harm systems are potentially open to.
“It’s vitally important that the proper channels are open to enable analysis of vulnerabilities so that these kinds of issues can be resolved.
“Everyone involved really contributed to the discussion and we look forward to working towards maximising crime awareness and minimising the effects felt by customers.”
Focusing largely on communication chains both internally and out with the company, the workshops encouraged those working in banks to spot and report potential weaknesses in the systems they are working with.
Stressing the importance of regular contact with the public sector was high on the list of priorities so that external support structures could be as effective as possible.
This includes regular talks with Police Scotland, social services and the SBRC.
RBS were particularly keen to enter into these SBRC led talks as customer protection from financial harm is an absolute priority for the bank.
Chris Wilson, managing director of Branch and Private Banking, said:
“Keeping our customers safe and secure is extremely important to us.
“It is vital that we are able to be up to date with the latest fraud scams so we can help to prevent them, raise customer awareness, or support our customers if they unfortunately fall victim to them. Part of this is to work closely with external bodies such as the SBRC, to share advice and best practice, which we can ultimately pass on to our customers.”
The SBRC will seek to continue to crackdown on crime and assist businesses to interact with the public sector, helping create a secure Scotland for Business to flourish.
Photo: Graham Vance, SBRC
