Sir: Bank robberies have increased in Pakistan. The main reason seems to be a lack of competence in surveillance and security. In most banks security guards seem to double as peons. Video footage after bank robberies is useless for police and law enforcement agencies due to the poor quality of equipment used as CCTV. Most new bank branches are located in commercial areas which are unsafe, and it is not possible for the police to provide protection to financial institutions after every half kilometre. If our police and banking staff try to overcome their respective lapses, cases of such robberies may decrease considerably. Ali Asghar Peshawar