BSH, new draft regulation for the physical security of banks

2024-06-28 07:34:10, Aktualitet CNA

BSH, new draft regulation for the physical security of banks

Bank of Albania, photo taken from Google

The Bank of Albania has prepared a new draft regulation for the determination of the minimum requirements for security in the premises where banking or financial activities are carried out, as well as for the transportation of monetary values, with the aim of the normal and safe development of these activities.

Subjects of this regulation are banks, branches of foreign banks, payment institutions, electronic money institutions, foreign exchange offices, savings and credit societies and their Unions and non-bank financial entities that carry out financial activities with physical money or agents.

Specifically for banks, the draft regulation provides that the bank carries out its activities in premises that have the necessary spaces and suitable conditions for the maintenance of documentation, as well as monetary values; they have the approval from the services of the relevant Ministry of Education (firefighting) for the measures taken against the fire; are accessible from specialized units of security and transportation of monetary values; they have clearly separated customer waiting area, cashier area, storage area of ??physical monetary values, the area where the technology and information systems are located, as well as they are equipped with a second and continuous source of electricity.

The bank must enter into an insurance contract for physical monetary values ??with an insurance company licensed by the Financial Supervision Authority.

The bank must notify the relevant structures of the Local Police about the address where the branch will be opened or transferred and be provided with the "certificate of security", issued by the Local Police Directorates.

The bank must enter into a contract with the SHPSF (Private Physical Security Company) for receiving and verifying the alarm signal, external and internal security, transportation of monetary values ??and refilling of ATMs outside the bank's premises.

The draft regulation foresees special technical requirements for special areas of banking activity, such as cash registers, areas for storing monetary values ??and areas where information security systems are installed.

Banks must also take measures for the protection by means of electronic systems of the premises in which they exercise their activity.

They must have telecameras, which continuously film the exterior surfaces of the facade at the entrance to the interior, the customer seating area, the counter,

actions in the ATM, the second and continuous source of electricity, the passageways and premises inside the bank, where the procedures for receiving and handing over monetary values ??are carried out.

Banks must have special digital equipment for recording images, which is placed in a safe environment, excluding the storage area of ??physical monetary values, and the storage time of the recordings is not less than 1 month.

In addition, the electronic protection of the premises should include motion sensors, smoke sensors, humidity sensors, alarm buttons mounted in the office of the employee responsible for security, internal or external alarm sirens, systems for transmitting the alarm signal, in the centers of control in the relevant structures of the State Police, the SHPSF with which it has a contract, and the security unit of the bank itself.

Banks must take measures for the internal security during working hours, of the premises in which they exercise their activity, with certified employees

Banks, in their assessment, can also take measures for the external security of the premises in which they exercise their activity, during and after working hours, depending on the level of perceived risk.

The transport of the bank's monetary values ??must be carried out in accordance with the requirements provided for in law no. 75/2014 "On the private physical security service", amended, as well as the by-laws approved in its implementation.

The armored vehicles which will be presented near the counters of the Bank of Albania to carry out actions with monetary values, must be equipped with the authorization issued by the State Police for the use of the armored vehicle.

The bank, every year and whenever there are changes, submits to the Bank of Albania a copy of the documentation for the list of employees authorized by the banks, employees who will communicate with the Department of Insurance and Protection, on operations with monetary values.

The notification for carrying out actions with monetary values ??at the counters of the Bank of Albania, in any case, is made 24 hours in advance, at the dedicated address, by the authorized employees of the banks./ Monitor.al