Heists are up, hoods out

ANZ has the no hoods policy in place. Photo / Doug Sherring

Banks have declared war on one of our favourite pieces of clothing as they aim to stem the rising tide of robberies.

The humble hoodie - a staple of the beach, bach and backyard barbecue - has joined the likes of sunnies, caps and helmets on the list of items likely to raise security concerns.

The BNZ and Westpac have both listed hoodies on new signs advising customers what they can't wear in branches.

Kiwibank and PostShops are planning to follow suit while the ASB, ANZ and National already have policies in place.

BNZ security strategy manager Owen Loeffellechner said signs asking customers to remove items that shielded their face from security cameras were part of the bank's headgear "standard".

The addition of hoodies to the list reflected changing trends and the policy would be "more stringently followed up".

He assured customers they would not be asked to remove the whole item of clothing but should not have the hood up.

"Staff will talk to the customer and ask if they saw the sign on their way in or are aware of our headgear standard ... we haven't 'banned' anything.

"We wouldn't expect old Mrs Smith with her woollen hat to be challenged."

Westpac spokesman Craig Dowling said signs going up this week asked customers to remove hoodies, hats, sunglasses and helmets.

"We had previously hoped we could have avoided this measure, not wanting to create a negative experience for customers in branches.

"The measure has been made necessary, however, due to an increase in robberies across the industry."

Even Gull service stations are getting in on the act, with signs at every outlet asking motorists to remove hoods.

The number of bank robberies increased from about 20 a year between 2000 and 2006 to 58 last year. There have been more than 60 this year.

Loeffellechner said the no hoods rule has been credited with helping reduce bank raids overseas.

The word "hoodie" has become synonymous with young criminals in the UK, with many shoplifters using them to conceal their identities.

There was outrage in 2005 when many stores instigated "no hoodie" rules, a move supported by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. Christchurch Police burglary squad head, Detective Sergeant Chris Power, said many offenders used hoodies to hide identities.

"Hoodies are around everywhere now, following the trend in the US of 'gangsters' or whatever you like to call them."