Be Safe At The Shopping Mall

Volume 1 Issue 4

March 2002

The food court.
The big department stores and those little specialty places you do not find anywhere else.
And the play areas for your children.
What place can be more fun for your family.
What place can be more dangerous.

Shopping Center Dangers

Operators try to make their shopping centers as safe for the shopper as possible but the criminals are getting bolder and smarter making keeping you safe in a mall harder and harder.

Shopping center security personnel also patrol the inside of malls to spot criminals and perverts but the sheer size of the crowds in malls make it impossible to keep out a thief bent on snatching purses or a pervert determined to abduct a child.

And retail theft has increased by staggering numbers in shopping malls with security personnel in both malls and stores using the most sophisticated methods – such as characteristic profiling – to spot shoplifters before they strike. Even the best methods though are being countered by the sheer number of shoppers in any mall or store and the increasing sophistication of the new generation of shoplifters. Thus, mall and store security personnel can not do the whole job of keeping you and your family safe at the mall. You have to help.

Purse snatches are most often committed as a crime of opportunity so why give the thief the opportunity of possibly injuring you and stealing your valuables by carrying a purse? Often a small wallet tucked into a pocket will hold your necessary items (i.e., identification, money, etc.). Try leaving personal items at home or at the office. If a wallet is not large enough, consider wearing a belly bag or fanny pack under your coat. These bags hold several items and can be worn while concealed from plain view.

Hold your purse tightly and close to your body. Be sure that you secure the latch or zipper. Most purse snatchers working crowded areas like a shopping mall do not want to take more than a few seconds to grab your purse as the longer the criminal takes the more chance others will notice him (potential witnesses to the crime) and security may arrive to apprehend him. There is always an easier target elsewhere.

And, report suspicious people to security personnel. That man just standing watching the crowds go by could be a criminal casing his next victim. That kid on skates could be the new generation of purse snatchers using the skates to allow him to grab your purse and get away faster than on foot.  Someone who is not doing anything wrong should not object to being questioned about his activities but thieves avoid heavily watched areas.

The most valuable thing you may bring to a shopping area is your car so you should take precautions to prevent its theft as well as the theft of items in the car. Never hide your keys in your car. This means removing the keys from above the sun visor, from underneath the seat, from under the floor mat, and from any other places you currently hide them in your car. Criminals are not stupid. Any spot that you may consider to be a safe place to hide your keys has already been thought of by car thieves. Always park your car with the windows closed and the doors locked, no matter where you may park it.

And make sure your key ring does not have your car's license number, your name, or address, or the description of your car listed on it somewhere. Police have been finding families working together to make your time at the mall Hell. One group of the family steals purses and passes the information in a purse such as a description of your car to another group of the family stealing cars or items in cars from the mall parking lot and even to a third group burglarizing homes – knowing you are at the mall and not home to protect your belongings.
Criminals have become better organized and smarter than they used to be so you have to be smarter too.

Protecting Your Children At The Mall

Of course the mall does not only have criminals bent on stealing your belongings. The mall also has perverts determined to abduct and harm your children. You can protect your children though. Go to the mall with no other aim than to teach your child mall safety. Point out helpful adults at the information booth and cash registers. Let your child know that these are the people to turn to if he or she gets lost. Point out phone booths and show your child how to dial 911 in case of an abduction attempt or other emergency.

When you make a real trip to the mall with your children, start early. Hurried parents tend to be more distracted and at greater risk of losing track of a child. By hitting the mall early, you will also feel more relaxed about completing your errands and have time left to treat your child to some fun.

And, forget about using the toy department to entertain your child as you shop. Predators go where the kids are: toy departments, video arcades, and food courts. It's also wise to accompany your child to the rest room. If you have an older son who no longer feels comfortable using the women's room, put a time limit on how long he can be in the men's room and station yourself at the door until he comes out.

Be as smart as the criminals at the mall and you and your family can have an enjoyable and safe time.

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