A sense of security

Aug 1, 1999 12:00 PM, BETH MATTSON

It's no surprise that security is a top issue for Security Square Mall in Baltimore. Although the center is actually named after the boulevard that borders the property, the title fits well with the mall's focus on safety.

"One of our challenges is creating a positive public perception of the security at the shopping center," says Deirdre Moore, vice president and general manager at the 1.2 million-square-foot Security Square Mall. "That's true with most shopping centers, whether it's a strip center or mall, post office or grocery store. And you're always wanting that positive public perception to be a true one."

Studying safety concerns. SpectaGuard, King of Prussia, Pa. - a security systems and staffing firm - commissioned a study to validate the theory that safety outside a mall is a growing concern among shoppers. MSI International conducted the National Security Study, and the results offer insights into consumers' shopping behavior and their perceptions of mall security. The study consisted of 203 telephone interviews among a random sample of consumer households in the Northeast, Midwest, South and West.

The study concluded, not surprisingly, that perceptions of mall crime and concerns over personal safety are widespread. The results showed that 53 percent of mall shoppers were very or somewhat concerned with their personal security. In addition, not only did perceptions of security play an important role in selecting a mall, but a perceived lack of security often deterred people from going to certain malls. According to the study, 67 percent reported that security was a very important factor in their choice of malls, and 52 percent named lack of security as the top reason for not shopping at a mall.

"Basically, we felt the study validated where we felt the benchmark was in the industry, and confirmed our perception of the public's concern about external security," says Jim Joly, SpectaGuard's vice president of the mall services division. Seventy percent of the respondents' surveyed reported that they felt least safe in the parking lot, while an additional 21 percent said they felt least safe outside, although not in the parking lot.

Having well-lit parking lots was regarded as the top mall security issue, with 85 percent of respondents rating it as very important.

Call centers have been instrumental in improving outside security. They provide direct communication with mall security staff for customer assistance requests, as well as emergency situations. SpectaGuard has formed a relationship with Code Blue to introduce call center systems to its mall clients.

"We've definitely seen a push within the mall industry to incorporate the technology over the past 24 to 36 months," Joly says.

"These call centers are not being implemented because of high-crime stats. Developers are being proactive because of the ability of call centers to carry out two functions," says Joly, referring to the emergency and customer-service capabilities (such as customers needing assistance with flat tires or dead batteries).

Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., is in the process of incorporating call centers into its surface parking lots and parking ramp. The center is owned by Los Angeles-based Westfield, Corp. Mall managers at Garden State Plaza decided to add the call centers in large part due to the customer-service features.

"We receive numerous stops on our patrols for assistance with jump-starts, lockouts and other vehicle problems," says Laurence A. Fedorka, Garden State Plaza's general manager. "We wanted to provide people with another source of communication with our (security) command center."

Columbus, Ohio-based Glimcher Realty Trust also has introduced call centers to some of its properties. Glimcher's new Jersey Gardens project in Elizabeth, N.J., for example, will feature call centers on virtually every light pole on the property, says John P. Hoeller, Glimcher's senior vice president and director of properties. "Security is customer service. We want consumers to feel comfortable visiting our properties."

Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Mich., conducts its own safety surveys among customers and tenants. "One of the biggest issues that customers respond to is safety in the large parking lots," agrees Aj Jemison, Fairlane's general manager. In recent years, Fairlane has increased its efforts to make shoppers feel safer outside the mall, which in turn encourages more evening shopping.

Fairlane increased lighting and added call centers. In addition, the mall has offered valet parking for several years. But one recent change has been to offer free valet parking after 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

The service is a convenience incentive for some, while others prefer to use valet parking rather than walk alone in the parking lot. "It encourages people to come and shop during the week," Jemison says.

Security measures. Shopping center managers are being proactive in responding to customers' safety concerns. "Forward thinkers really understand the connection between security and customer service. We want our customers to understand that we're here for them," Jemison says.

Malls such as Fairlane are committed to providing top-quality security. For example, Fairlane provides its security staff with a variety of tools to help them do their job. The most critical tool is training. In addition to standard security training, staff members receive comprehensive training on first aid, CPR, customer service and diversity.

Some security officers move on to more rigorous education by enrolling in a six-week training program with the Michigan State Police. Those persons completing the intensive program will then have police powers on mall property. That power allows security personnel to make arrests, such as in cases of shoplifting, Jemison says.

"Security has always been an important issue, something we spend an awful lot of time on," agrees Hoeller. "We're always looking for ways for the customer to feel comfortable, and security is an issue that has been prevalent in the retail business for quite a period of time."

Visible security measures are important to a security program. Seeing the security officers on foot, on their bikes or in their vehicles makes shoppers and tenants feel more comfortable and helps deter crime. Surveillance cameras are also important.

The Fairlane center has come to recognize the importance of visibility. The mall has added information stations at all five entrances in addition to the main center court station located in the mall. The staff at booths have direct access to security via two-way radios. And as part of security uniforms, security staff are required to wear their hats at all times, which makes them easy to identify in a crowd of shoppers, Jemison says.

At Security Square Mall, surveillance cameras are visible inside and outside the mall. The security cameras tape 24 hours a day, and the security station is always supervised during mall hours.

To make customers feel more comfortable, Security Square Mall has relocated its back-room security station to the mall's center court. Now the public can watch as the monitors display footage from the 30 video surveillance cameras located throughout the property.

"We like to communicate the marriage of technology and people. Technology is only as good as the people you have managing the technology," Moore says. Security Square Mall operates two security vehicles, a bike patrol and a foot patrol. Management also supplements its in-house staff with off-duty police officers.

"Crime is something that happens because of opportunity," Moore says. "We're looking at any way that we can to reduce the opportunity."

Increased security measures do impact crime. For example, a year after surveillance cameras were introduced in the parking lot in 1997, car thefts dropped by 40 percent at Security Square Mall.

In addition, the mall actively promotes security in the industry and educates shoppers on safety. Security Square hosts an area mall security directors' meeting that features guest speakers from local police precincts. "We're working hard at going outside the mall to provide and receive information on trends in the marketplace," Moore says.

Security Square also hosts special events that support safe shopping tips for population segments such as seniors and children, says Moore. "As an industry, shopping centers are on the cutting edge of consumer safety and looking at different and innovative ways to deter crime on their properties."

Mall shopping is frequent, but the perception of mall crime and the concern over personal safety are widespread, according to the results of a market research study conducted by MSI International on behalf of SpectaGuard.

Based in King of Prussia, Pa., SpectaGuard provides security systems and staffing to regional and superregional centers across the country.

The study consisted of 203 telephone interviews among a national random sample of consumer households. Here are some of the report's highlights:

On average, respondents visited malls 30 times in the past year. * Shoplifting was perceived to be the most common crime (73 percent), followed by stolen wallets and purses (36 percent), vandalized cars (32 percent), and stolen purchases (30 percent).

* More than half of mall shoppers (53 percent) were very or somewhat concerned with their personal safety.

* While 72 percent said that having the department stores they liked was important, nearly as many (67 percent) named security as a very important factor in their choice of malls.

* The top reason given for not shopping at a specific mall was the perceived lack of security (52 percent).

* Having a well-lit parking lot was far and away the top-rated mall security issue (85 percent rated it as important), followed by visible security guards (66 percent) and outdoor security guards in vehicles (60 percent).

* More than nine in 10 mall shoppers considered the mall's outside areas to be the least safe, especially the parking lot (70 percent).

* When read a list of security issues, 87 percent of respondents (nine in 10) cited car vandalism as one of the top worries.

* The large majority of shoppers (87 percent) reported being less likely to shop at malls after 5 p.m. Women were significantly more likely than men to say they avoid evening shopping at malls (91 percent versus 65 percent).

* More so than men, women felt that lack of security was a key issue in choosing a mall (62 percent vs. 41 percent).

* Women more so than men were also concerned about their personal security in a mall (27 percent vs. 9 percent). Among both sexes, 42 percent named theft (unprompted) as their No. 1 personal safety concern.

* Women were significantly more likely than men to call for well-lit parking lots, emergency call booths both inside the mall and in the parking lot, and emergency panic buttons in the parking lot.

* Security was a greater issue in the Northeast than in any other area of the country. When choosing a mall, 77 percent of those in the Northeast considered good security to be very important, compared with an overall average of 67 percent nationwide. (Respondents were located in four separate regions of the country: Northeast, Midwest, South and West.)

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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