Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness
– James Thurber
The feastive season generally means more people at malls, longer operating hours and increased opportunities for criminals to strike. It may be no surprise that the stores most often targeted by criminals are those selling electronic devices and jewelry.
Given the spate of armed robberies over the last few months, shopping mall’s have stepped up their security measures in order to provide a more secure environment for their customers. Unfortunately these enhanced mall safety measures (including but not limited to: random stop and search of suspicious persons, banning shoppers from carrying personal registered firearms etc.) may cause delays and / or leave the customer feeling irritated.
Note: Shopping malls are private property and entry is at the customer’s own risk. The property owner / manager has the right to request customers be searched (in line with proper searching procedures) and customers have the right to refuse such search. If the customer does not give their consent then the property owner / manager has the right to refuse them entry to the mall.
Whilst the SAPS have committed extra resources to hunt down culprits and prevent more shopping mall heists, during the feastive season, customers can also do their bit, when shopping, to enhance their own mall safety.
5 Pro-active mall safety measures
- Report suspicious persons inside stores, hanging around ATM’s etc. to the mall’s security and/or management ASAP.
- Be alert, especially in parking areas and at entrances and exits, and report any suspicious persons, vehicles and / or activities to the mall’s security and /or management ASAP.
- Obey security measures set up by the mall to enhance your secure shopping experience i.e. random searches, using metal detectors etc.
- Do not be a hero, co-operate fully and do not put your or other people’s life at risk.
- Stay calm and observe events so that a detailed description of any events can be given to mall security and the SAPS as soon as it is reasonably safe to do so.
If all else fails, try Online shopping, from the comfort of your own home. REMEMBER to keep your information secure when using credit cards Online.
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