The Derren Brown programme ‘The Heist’ on Channel 4 that showed a cash in transit ‘armed robbery’ has prompted complaints to TV regulator Ofcom.
Union GMB, which represents cash in transit staff, is writing to the Commissioner of City of London Police to complain about their co-operation with the programme makers Objective Productions.
GMB Senior Organiser Martin Hird condemned Channel 4’s broadcasting of a programme which staged an armed robbery, calling it irresponsible and insensitive: "We also have serious concerns about the programme being produced with involvement from the police and banking community. Channel 4 bosses should try telling people who have been on the receiving end of these terrifying attacks that the trauma they have suffered should be used for entertainment. One of our members, Colin Baker, was shot and seriously wounded in such an attack, and he and his family certainly didn’t find this show entertaining, and nor did we. GMB is making formal complaints to the broadcast authorities and to the police on this."
GMB member Colin Baker, who was shot and suffered permanent damage to his hip and leg, commented: "I completely deplore the programme for what it was portraying. If Channel 4 wanted the shock factor, perhaps they could have shown the CCTV footage of my attack – real life, not entertainment."
GMB branch Secretary Nigel Smith added: "The programme was in very poor taste and we are appalled. What’s next? Brainwashing people into carrying out a terrorist attack? I’m sure there would be an outcry at that, but Derren Brown and the programme makers obviously didn’t consider that real people are being hurt and wounded on a regular basis in attacks like the ones they portrayed. I am disgusted."
BSIA say
Meanwhile the British Security Industry Association claims that Channel 4 is in breach of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, in particular Section 3 Rules 3.1 and 3.6 for encouraging crime and endangering lives. The association contacted Channel 4 shortly before broadcast asking them not to go ahead with the broadcast.
What they say
BSIA chief executive David Dickinson says: "Screening a programme that trivialises armed robbery and presents a romanticised view of crime could further endanger the lives of the cash-in-transit crews that perform such a vital public service delivering cash to our high streets. It shows no regard for men and women who can be exposed to grave risk and danger in the course of their every day working lives. It could also endanger the lives of members of the public who get caught up in armed robberies. Channel 4 has been extremely irresponsible in screening this programme.
"Cash-in-transit crime is increasingly a problem in the UK and often involves horrific incidents which, at the very least, traumatise those people who work as couriers, their families and members of the public, and can also lead to serious injury and death. There have been over 2,000 armed robberies on cash-in-transit vehicles in the last three years alone, 400 couriers have been injured and two members of the public have died. The security industry invests a huge amount of resources in tackling these crimes, as do the Police. The programme made cash-in-transit robbery look like "easy money" which is very dangerous and could encourage people to commit this type of crime. In reality the amount of money carried by couriers is considerably less than was shown and hi-tech security systems protect the cash boxes, covering the cash in dye so that it can’t be used. Surveillance operations protecting cash-in-transit deliveries are also in place in many parts of the country, involving police vehicles and CCTV."
The Heist’s climax showed three managers – out of 12 selected by hypnotist Derren Brown – triggered psychologically, by a pop music song and a billboard sign, into using toy guns to rob an actor playing a CIT guard, who was walking from a building to a parked green CIT van (the colour green being one of the triggers). Earlier, Brown had triggered some of the managers into shoplifting, to the bemusement of shop staff.
