The holiday season is a time to celebrate and appreciate time with family and friends. With Black Friday rolling around the corner, some are excited to shop for the holidays. However, the holiday season can be a rough time for others and may lead them into trouble.
In a previous blog post, improve personal safety in malls, we discussed how to improve our safety in a public setting like a mall or shopping center. With the increasing violence in malls across the country, we must use the OPTU System in our daily lives. This blog post will discuss what crimes to look for when shopping during the holiday season.
Top Crimes
Robbery
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (URC) Program defines robbery as the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence or by putting the victim in fear. The holiday season brings a lot of attention to stores where robbers know this. Robbers may seek to target someone in the parking lot, carrying a lot of shopping bags, or not paying attention while using their phone. It is essential always to pay attention to our surroundings and know where our feet are.
Larceny-Theft
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program defines larceny-theft as the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. Larceny thefts common during the holiday season are shoplifting, pocket-picking, or stealing any property taken by force. Shoplifting is one of the most significant crimes during this time of the year. As mentioned above, suspects usually target vulnerable people or stores.
Active Shooter
The FBI defines an active shooter as an individual actively killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Active shooters do not have any pattern in their selection of victims, which means anyone can be a victim. With the increase in active shooter incidents across the country, we cannot ignore the possibility of an incident happening in a mall or shopping center.
Conclusion
With all the decorations, shopping deals, discounts, and the smell of the holiday season, the mall can be a happy place for someone. It can be a crime scene for others. Keep in mind the possible crimes that may occur. Put into practice the smart concepts that make up the OPTU System as you go about your daily life.
