NCJ Number
137469
Journal
Security Management Volume: 36 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: 41-44,47,48
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Security at shopping malls requires attention to the malls' individual characteristics and must balance the need to be an easily accessible public place with the need to keep out dangerous individuals that such places attract.
Abstract
Despite the challenge, mall security has been amazingly successful, with a 1990 survey indicating that most people feel safe in most shopping centers. Most enclosed malls use closed- circuit television, alarm systems, security officers with hand- held radios, and a command center where alarms and cameras are monitored. Typically, individual stores are responsible for their own alarm systems, with mall security responsible for common areas. However, mall security is sometimes involved in addressing the common retail security problems of credit card fraud, employee theft, and shoplifting. Urban malls are often connected to a mass-transit outlet and attract shoppers, tourists, vagrants, and browsers; in contrast, suburban malls attract serious shoppers. Mall security cannot be as overt as that at airports; architecture and design can contribute both to safety and to ease of use. Most malls have contingency plans for the Christmas season which is the busiest time of year. When mall security and tenants work cooperatively, the result is a safer environment for shoppers. Photographs