Shopping malls and police to meet
Shopping centres proactive in combating crime.
The SA Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) and the police are to discuss ways to improve security at shopping malls.
Amanda Stops, CEO of SACSC, confirmed on Tuesday the council was organising a meeting between representatives from Gauteng shopping centres and the police.
“By sharing crime information we all benefit. On one hand, malls can be better informed on threats and increased risks at certain retail stores and on the other hand, we can also provide better information to the police that could increase their success,” she said.
No fewer than 11 shopping malls across Gauteng have been robbed in recent weeks.
Brigadier Neville Malila, provincial spokesperson, said the spate of mall robberies was a source of concern.
“The most recent attacks and robberies were at Cradlestone Mall in Krugersdorp where a Samsung Cellular phone shop was robbed and cash-in-transit robbery at the Black Chain, shopping complex in Diepkloof Soweto, where a security guard was robbed and killed and three others injured. The five suspects fled in two vehicles. A white Chev Cruze and a grey VW Jetta with false registration plates.”
Stops said preventing crime was a priority and this meant sharing information and analysis about crimes, suspects and suspicious vehicles.
The discussions between the police and mall owners and managers would focus on these areas. Stops said the SACSC would also welcome minimum standards or guidelines for CCTV as well as minimum standards for training security guards.
SACSC president, Marna van der Walt, said by working with retailers and the police, malls could play a key role in crime prevention.
“Increased risk at one store in a mall has knock-on effects. Retailers need to work in tandem with shopping malls, security providers and the police to ensure we are all suitably vigilant at higher-risk times for each store,” she said.
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