Ongoing Mall Robberies prompts Shopping centre council to meet SAPS

SACSC president, Marna van der Walt and Amanda Stops, CEO of SACSC are in talks with South African Police Service (SAPS) concerning violent shopping mall robberies across SA.

The recent spike in violent shopping centre robberies across SA provinces has prompted the SA Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) to take a proactive step of meeting with the South African Police Service (SAPS) on keeping malls safe for shoppers and retailers.

In the last 30 days shoppers have seen more than eleven shopping centres becoming victim to robberies and many experts predict this is just the prelude of robberies that we can expect, especially as we move closer towards the festive season.

Such incidents have been reported mostly from Gauteng areas with the following major regional centres becoming the latest target; Benmore Gardens, Centurion Mall, Maponya Mall, Greenstone Shopping Centre, Cresta Shopping Centre, Northgate Mall, Rosebank Mall, the Glen Shopping Centre, Eastgate Shopping Centre and the newly built Cradlestone Mall.

In Western Cape, the Somerset West Mall was recently affected.

Durban’s biggest mall, the Pavilion Shopping Centre in KZN also witnessed an armed robbery.

Gauteng Police Commissioner, Lesetja Mothiba recently expressed great concern about the security at shopping malls. Mothiba said police suspected all the robberies may have been inside jobs, which was worrying.

"We must point out that in some of the malls the security is very much relaxed. In some of the malls, the cctv cameras are not even working and some of the malls the footages where of poor quality," he said.

In statement, Amanda Stops, CEO of SACSC, on Monday confirmed the council is facilitating a meeting between representatives from Gauteng shopping centres and the SAPS.

"On one hand, malls can be better informed on threats and increased risks at certain retail stores, which helps contribute to prevention," said Stops.

"We can also provide better information to the police which increases their success. We want to understand how we can support the police to improve the capture and prosecution of perpetrators, and reinforce their investigations," She adds.

The discussions with the SAPS and mall owners and managers will include these focuses areas. Stops says the SACSC would also welcome minimum standards or guidelines for CCTV as well as minimum standards for the calibre of guards training and certification, as both would support safety.

In addition to Samsung, Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, and Telkom stores being robbed, Core Group's iStores also appear to be a target, with 3 of its shops hit in 2 weeks during August.

Residents say they are deeply concerned about the recent armed robberies, saying they fear shopping in malls knowing that gunmen can strike at any time.

SACSC president, Marna van der Walt, says that by working with retailers and the SAPS malls can play a key role in crime prevention.

“Increased risk at one store in a mall has knock-on effects. Retailers need to work in tandem with shopping malls, security providers and the police to ensure we are all suitably vigilant at higher-risk times for each store,” she says.

“This can only be achieved with excellent communication and a keen focus on crime prevention. We encourage working together to create a safe environment for the customer,” adds van der Walt.

The SACSC will also continue to work with the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, Business Against Crime South Africa, and SAPS, using information sharing and best practices for the common goal of providing a safe environment for customers in shopping centres.