Security guards at shopping malls will not be armed to avoid ”war zones”, a conference heard in Johannesburg on Friday.
”We don’t want shoot-outs in malls because bullets fly,” said Michael Broughton, head of security for the South African Council of Shopping Centres.
He explained that he did not want children, their families or staff at risk of being killed.
”We don’t want anyone killed by a stray bullet and that is why we are not arming guards,” he said.
Broughton was speaking to the media at the 13th African Congress of Shopping Centres at the Sandton Convention Centre.
The conference heard there was concern that security guards at malls might be offered more money by criminals for their help.
The matter was being discussed.
Broughton said they were working closely with police to curb crime.
”We want to avoid violence at shopping arenas at all costs.”
The council welcomed police National Commissioner Bheki Cele’s commitment to fight fire with fire.
”We don’t want violence in our shopping centres, but when the criminals come into contact with police, the police must not be out-gunned,” he said.
”We welcome the fight-fire-with-fire commitment and the police have assured us that they won’t come into malls with guns blazing.”
Broughton said there were on average 25 business robberies a month in South Africa, with Gauteng being the highest risk province.
KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape were the second highest risk areas.
There were 98 arrests in the past three weeks, and 100 arrests in the August.
Broughton said the consumer council lost about R4-million due to armed robberies every year and the cost of the crimes ran into hundreds of millions.
He said there were convictions, but that it was not good enough.
This year, the council noticed that police were much more energetic and driven than ever before.
Police had to be given the tools to fight, he said.
”We have a concerted effort going on and by Christmas people will feel tighter security,” said Broughton.
The council was looking at items that attracted criminals into malls, such as cash, jewellery and cellphones.
”We believe crime prevention is our responsibility, not the police’s.”
Criminals looked at three things — opportunity, benefit and risk.
”We are looking to remove opportunity [cash]. So when they come in they are going to get very little cash,” Broughton said.
Staff would not be in possession of safe keys so the robbers would not be able to get much cash.
The council would also look at the management of jewellery and cellphones.
”Malls open 18 hours a day, seven days a week and 31 days a month … It’s where the economy is, that’s where they strike,” he said. — Sapa