Shopping malls are a fun place to shop at dozens of stores, interact with friends and get a great meal – all in one place. The appeal isn’t just for shoppers, though.
Shoplifters, general troublemakers and even terrorists enjoy malls too. The daily chaos of hundreds or even thousands of people coming and going makes it easy to hide their activities. This is why shopping mall security isn’t optional – it’s an essential service for keeping malls fun and safe.
Preventing Crime Before It Happens
Obviously, shopping malls would rather crime never happened in the first place. With uniformed security guards wondering throughout the mall, many acts of theft and violence never occur. The moment a guard is noticed, the person or people change their minds and leave the mall. Reducing crime just by appearance alone is enough of a reason to ensure guards are on site at all times.
For instance, a few people might start arguing and consider getting into a fight. If they notice a security guard, it may deter them from fighting at the mall. They’d rather go their separate ways than risk going to jail.
Interacting With Visitors
Security guards, often called mall cops, interact with visitors. They may help someone to their car who doesn’t feel safe going out alone after dark. They may help a lost child find his/her parents. They may talk to a group of teens who are getting rowdy and calm them before they cause problems.
All these interactions with visitors helps create a safer environment. It also shows shoppers that you care about their safety. This leads to more people coming to your mall.
Identifying Potential Security Problems
Sadly, the term “mall cop” gives mall security guards a bad reputation. Security guards are trained to do more than just scold unruly teens. They can also recognize and prevent terrorist attacks. While uniformed guards are the norm, optimal shopping mall security means have plain clothes guards walking the mall as well.
These guards blend in with the regular shoppers, but they’re always on the look out for suspicious activity. For instance, they might notice the same person or group checking out specific stores each day or discretely scoping out security cameras. This tells the guards that the person or group may be planning something.
Reducing Overall Theft
With approximately 27 million shoplifters in the US, shopping mall security is vital to preventing malls from going in the red. Security guards are not only trained to know what to look for, but they also know how to handle shoplifting situations without it becoming a major issue for the store, employees or customers.
Since nearly three quarters of adults and juveniles steal as a spur of the moment decision, you need someone on hand who can recognize and prevent the theft from occurring.
Creating A Safer Mall Environment
Malls are busy, yet exciting places. Yet, when you place so many people in one building, there is the potential for disaster. For instance, many malls started looking more closely at their own security after a series of brawls just after Christmas in 2016. These happened in multiple malls across the US.
The truth is, you never know what might happen or when. You can’t always count on the police arriving quickly enough to stop an escalating situation. To create a safer environment, you need security on hand at all times.
Shopping mall security guards work to create a safer mall environment by:
- Watching shopper behavior
- Handling shoplifters until cops arrive
- Keeping the parking lot safer
- Helping parents find lost kids
- Providing crowd control
- Managing potential security situations
- Assisting cops when they arrive on site
Mall security gives employees and shoppers peace of mind. While they may not be able to prevent every threat, they’ll prevent a large portion of crime and step in to handle security threats as they arise.
Contact BOS Security Today
Have questions about securing your mall? Contact the knowledgeable team at BOS Security today at 404-793-6965. We’re always happy to answer any questions.
Want to learn more about your security needs? Try our free Security Needs Assessment for a custom security analysis.
Image: Owen Byrne