Banknote Watch appoints Richard Childs as new Chairman

Richard intends to build closer partnerships with the Police to develop new ways to make cash more secure

Banknote Watch, the crime reduction partnership aimed at reducing the profits of cash-in-transit and ATM crime, has appointed a new Chairman following a lengthy selection process.

Richard Childs QPM BSc FSyI joined Banknote Watch at the end of 2012, bringing with him a wealth of experience from both public and private sectors. Currently Managing Director of ACPO CPI – which supports Secured by Design - he is also the ACPO lead for security systems and is a past member of the Prison Service Pay Review Body.

Using this experience, Richard intends to build closer partnerships with the Police and Government to develop new ways to make cash more secure, while further influencing the security industry’s response to serious crime, particularly involving commercial robbery.

He comments: “Banknote Watch is a good example of how an industry can join together in an area of common interest – commercial crime – and by working closely together with Police and Government departments, make sustained progress against this very serious issue.”

Banknote Watch was established by the security industry, alongside the Police and forensic community, to remove stolen banknotes from circulation, thus preventing criminals profiting from the proceeds of cash-in-transit crime and reducing the risk of businesses becoming the victims of commercial robbery.

Increasing public awareness of how to identify stolen cash and what to do with it is another key objective of the initiative, and one which Richard is keen to expand upon throughout his Chairmanship.

Richard continues: “One of the key objectives I’ve set for my chairmanship is to ensure that the industry gains recognition for its work in tackling these issues, and I am looking forward to playing a part in that and building upon the progress that has already been made over a number of years.”