Mall of the North: safe shopping

POLOKWANE – It is holiday season again and the number of visitors to Mall of the North will be increasing.

Parents can have peace of mind that their children are safe in the mall while they shop, watch a movie, play games or eat and drink something.

“We can guarantee that everyone is safe at Mall of the North,” Sumari de Ridder, general manager of Mall of the North, said.

Jurgens Nel, security manager for Urban Africa at Mall of the North added that there were 180 cameras inside and outside the mall to keep an eye on our clients. A person will have a camera on him from the time he leaves the car, while entering the mall and out again.”

The camera and security system were upgraded regularly and Nel said the system was of top quality; one of the best. He added that the cameras outside could be used to focus on registration number plates without the number being blurred.

“There are security guards everywhere making sure everyone is safe. Inside the mall there are 11 guards while there are five outside. On any week day there are 20 car guards as well and on weekends a minimum of 42 guards. Sometimes there are up to 70 guards on the premises,” Nel said.

On every shift there was one supervisor and two controllers and at shift change the guard stayed at his place until his replacement arrived, he further explained.

“If there is an incident you can come to the management’s office and report it. Every incident will be investigated until we find the root of the problem. We work closely with the police as well. They give us information and we supply them with information,” Nel assured visitors.

Nel said there were cases in which client lost rings, purses or cellphones, and these items were recovered. “Unfortunately there are also cases where clients lie and say something was stolen. Even these cases are investigated,” he said.

The security guards are also briefed and shown photos of all suspects every time they start their shifts. Shoplifters photos are also distributed to the shop tenants, Nel said.

De Ridder said it was important to them that their clients were safe. “We spend millions to keep them safe. We want them to send their children to the mall and to know they are safe. We do not skimp where security is concerned,” De Ridder said.

René van der Merwe, Mall of the North marketing manager, emphasised that if any clients felt something was wrong or something was bothering them, they should feel free to ask any security guard for help.

“You will not walk very far before you see a guard, they are always close by. They are also very approachable, neat and easy to identify,” Van der Merwe said.

Nel further explained that people asking for donations were not welcome at the mall as they wanted their clients to experience a relaxed, good time and not feel guilty for what they had and could not give.

As part of keeping the clients happy, Mall of the North hosted an information day for the security guards and car guards last Friday.

Johnny Graham and Christa van der Walt from the Association for Persons with Disabilities addressed the security personnel during the information day.

“We wanted to make sure the guards know why some disabled people need bigger places to park. We also told them that we would clamp cars that do not need to park there and use the money paid to unclamp them to give to organisations for people with disabilities,” De Ridder said.

Van der Walt said that all the guards were interested and asked questions. “They really wanted to know how they could help. The information session was very successful.”

“We want a safe, clean place for our clients to shop. We want to keep our clients happy. If clients feel we can do better with anything, feel free to e-mail us or tell us where to improve,” De Ridder said.

E-mails can be sent to mm@mallofthenorth.co.za