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Keeping shoppers safe

With hundreds of thousands of consumers thronging shopping centres daily, how do property managers and retail owners ensure the security of clientele and assets?

A number of inherent security issues are apparent in the retail environment. According to Hyprop’s Brenda Frylinck these include theft, pickpocketing, robberies and in some instances, the legal entities are deemed to be a part of the crime circle. Repeat offenders are also a major problem who have either slipped through cracks in the legal system or who are released.

Brenda Frylinck.

Frylinck says the counter measures instituted to stay abreast of criminal activities are costly, but are nevertheless important to ensure a safe environment for both shoppers, tenants and staff.

An anonymous industry source says that the main focus of any security measures should be the safety and wellbeing of the retailers’ staff. By providing a secure environment, employees will be more motivated to extend a professional service to the customers. In short, the retailer culture drives all the operational processes, including security.

Gerhard van den Bergh of Mowana Properties says that while the predominance of one mode of crime over another constantly shifts, currently retailers report the largest threats come from armed robberies, theft of vehicles, theft from the retail shops and theft from handbags.

Successful security measures, it is agreed, should form a holistic whole, with both technology and manpower being used together in a partnership to deter and tackle crime. It is surmised that the increased security costs versus the operational savings will drive the investment split between visible manned guarding and overt and covert security technology.

Van den Bergh stresses that, in his opinion, customers want to see guards present in the retail store or shopping centre as it provides them with a sense of comfort and security. “Having visible guards or even SAPS on site is more important than security surveillance systems. However, security surveillance plays an important role for the owner or landlord as it becomes a way of managing and monitoring the premises and identifying perpetrators in a manner that can be used for successful apprehension and conviction of criminals.”

Investment or expense?

Many stores and shopping centres spend significant resources on securing their environment for shoppers. The question is: Is this investment in security something that attracts customers to the shops or centres, due to the fact that they feel more secure?

Frylinck and Van den Bergh emphatically believe that this is the case. “We cannot not invest in security measures. People want to shop and work in a secure environment, so it means that we have to constantly up our game,” states Frylinck. She explains that technology and solid operating procedures are key in early detection and prevention of crime.

Van den Bergh says that spending time and money for the safety and convenience of Mowana’s shoppers is always worth it. However, he adds, one must ensure that the resources and installation of equipment is of the highest quality to ensure that the tenant or centre management are provided with the necessary tools to provide a safe and secure shopping experience for customers.

On a cautionary note though, this is not a one-size-fits-all approach as to some a dominant security presence might create the impression that the shopping centre is a high-risk environment rather that a secure one. Therefore, there must be a balance between covert and overt investment in security.

Another element of the security system return on investment debate is the use of security systems for other non-security purposes. Is this happening in the retail environment? Frylinck says that Hyprop has been quite conservative with using security technology outside its traditional boundaries but that going forward plans are definitely in place to capitalise on the investment. Typically, this will include people counting and the gathering and analysis of customer demographics.

Van den Bergh says that to date Mowana has not used the technology for anything other than combatting crime.

Partners in crime

There is an indubitable truth in the statement that crime in the retail sector cannot be addressed solely by the retail sector, but rather by the added support and involvement of the SAPS. So are such relationships in place and do they actually work to tackle the crime situation?

Frylinck says that the organisation works closely with the SAPS and Business Against Crime (BAC) on all its sites as it is counterproductive to try and work in isolation. These parties also share information amongst each other. In some instances, this data sharing has resulted in the apprehension and charging of criminals via private security companies employed by Hyprop.

In the relationship between a retailer’s security service provider and SAPS, cognisance should be taken of the retail sector’s specific view on crime versus the SAPS’ views of the different types of crimes.

Van den Bergh reiterates that the SAPS should be involved from a support perspective. “We have noticed that a visible SAPS presence at specific centres has resulted in far less crimes being committed. The operations managers at our centres have built up a very good relationship over time with the SAPS and also attend monthly sector meetings with the SAPS to discuss the prevention of crime at the centres. We have noted a new committed stance from the SAPS to assist the shopping centres in combatting crime.”

He adds that Mowana has been able to use the derived data to secure arrests, although the number of cases is relatively low. He feels that while the SAPS and the Courts are supplied with the data, the convictions are not always successful. “Perhaps this may be because of the overload of cases as well as how these crimes are ranked from a priority point of view.”

There is definitely a recognition of the value of security systems, both from a traditional surveillance and access control perspective, as well as from a non-security related point of view as a business tool. A clever combination of both manpower and technology will ensure that all bases are covered, and the need for open lines of communication and data sharing with authorities is critical to the overall success of any retail security system deployment.

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