# Those bank pop up walls...(security) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bank-pop-up-walls-security/136237 "2002-11-11T04:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ausmunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@ausmunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ausmunch)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bank-pop-up-walls-security/136237/21 "2012-07-11T15:56:32Z")
I worked for the ANZ many years ago and didn’t have to attend any firing range facilities, was just issued with a 32 automatic browning and told,“if anyone tries to rob us, throw the gun at them!”. However I digress. I can tell you all that the screens are called “Fast rising Screens” and they are fast. According to specs they have to travel the required distance in between 0.4 and 0.7 of a second. As for making them lower instead, it would be a design nightmare. Statistics show that the robbery rate where screens are installed has dropped significantly. Some people and their studies of the situation seem to be focused only on the monetary cost factor, whereas the whole picture is staff protection as well. As for the customers, the would be robber is confronted with a screen that is fast and noisy, with a bloody big sign on it, which all helps to distract the robber for a time, and from what I’ve been told, they only want to get out fast, not hang around and talk to a steel screen. As for the damage it might do to a body, the screen in the raised position has less space than your spinal width, figure it out yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bank-pop-up-walls-security/136237/22 "2012-07-11T17:08:44Z")
Hm, fast rising screen you say? It’s a shame no one mentioned this last year. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BigDadWolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@BigDadWolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigDadWolf)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bank-pop-up-walls-security/136237/23 "2012-07-11T17:35:38Z")
Here is a youtube video showing the screens popping up with the bonus of a hilarious attempt at escape by the would be robber: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7A8Dm8ZQag](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7A8Dm8ZQag) ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bank-pop-up-walls-security/136237/24 "2012-07-11T17:39:27Z")
I have pop-ups turned off. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bank-pop-up-walls-security/136237/25 "2012-07-11T21:31:01Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > What’s the plan of action for the bank/store/whatever when the armed robber decides he’s going to start shooting other customers if/when the wall goes up? Time, **Monty**. When the barrier slams up the idiot robbing the bank knows the cops have been called and probably set off an alarm. His only thought is to escape. My question is what happens when the barrier slams up and another customer’s hand is in the way? I’ve seen these in action on TV (I know, I know) and it looked to me like an airbag inflating. Lots of speed and pressure. (As stated above) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bank-pop-up-walls-security/136237/26 "2012-07-11T22:10:51Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > My question is what happens when the barrier slams up and another customer’s hand is in the way? > I’ve seen these in action on TV (I know, I know) and it looked to me like an airbag inflating. Lots of speed and pressure. > (As stated above) In our bank, these were installed with a fair distance of open space up to the ceiling. A customers’ (or tellers’) hand or head or whatever could not be trapped between anything by the barrier – even the ceiling was too high for a tall customer to reach. So when the barrier came up, it would just knock any such body part out of the way as it rose. So all that could happen would be a bruise or, in the worst case, a broken bone in their hand. And the top of these barriers were padded, not sharp, to minimize the chances of this. Our banks were prepared to pay the medical costs of such an accident – they felt the slight risk of this was preferable to robberies, with possible shootouts that would be more dangerous to our customers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-bank-pop-up-walls-security/136237.md?page=1)