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Perimeter fencing for retail centres

When it comes to perimeter security, retail centres have unique requirements and challenges. By their nature, malls and shopping centres should offer an open and welcoming environment, one where shoppers feel at ease to browse at their leisure knowing that they, their belongings and their cars are safe.

Dan Edwards, Betafence South Africa.

Unfortunately, retail centres have become increasingly popular targets for both petty and organised crime, ranging from smash and grab incidents to armed robberies, necessitating an effective and practical security system.

A retail centre’s first line of defence is its perimeter boundary. An effective perimeter boundary must:

• Secure the area (particularly during non-trading hours, when access should be limited to security personnel).

• Control access to parking areas, public transport areas, and the centre itself.

• Act as a deterrent to criminal elements.

• Offer a sense of security without creating the feeling of an enclosure.

• Add to the aesthetics of the retail centre.

These fundamental functions can only be achieved through an integrated perimeter protection solution – of which the security fence plays an integral role.

The primary function of the security fence is to control flow to the retail centre. Controlling flow is important for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic, as it enables manned and electronic security measures to be concentrated in a few key areas. This ensures that the activities at entry control points can be more easily monitored, enabling security personnel to identify and react to any potential risks or threats.

One instance where the control of flow at a retail centre is particularly useful is the deterrence of smash and grab attacks. With a perimeter fence in place and limited access points, perpetrators would find it increasingly more difficult to simply pull up in a car along the boundary, carry out the smash and grab, and quickly exit the scene unhindered.

Another functional application of perimeter fencing at a retail centre is where a multi-storey car park is in use. In many situations, the ground floor of this type of car park is often easily accessible. The solution offered on an increasingly frequent basis is to ‘clad’ the area between the ground level and the first level. This ensures that the car park can only be accessed through designated access points.

Fencing also offers a practical solution for the division of areas at a retail centre – the most common of which is the goods receiving area. Through the installation of a fence around this area it is both clearly divided from the rest of the centre and secured during deliveries, thereby reducing the chance of shrinkage and theft of goods.

In conclusion, perimeter fencing at retail centres is a highly effective way to secure the centre and control flow to and from it, and by doing so acts as a deterrent, especially to petty criminals.

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