Malls are known to be a consumer’s paradise. Filled with retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment outlets, every mall has its own taste and style that they bring to their community. Malls are meant to make memories with family and friends.
Sometimes those memories can be less-than-pleasant because malls are among the most popular crime areas. Malls tend to attract a large numbers of non-residents that have no intention of shopping.
In a report on “The Impact of Neighborhoods, Schools, and Malls on the Spatial Distribution of Property Damage” in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Teresa Lagrange explains why crime rates spike at major shopping malls:
“The large number of people who come and go in the streets around a mall works to reduce effective guardianship, because distinguishing between legitimate patrons and persons who are simply loitering may be difficult. It might be predicted that this combination of factors would result in higher crime rates in the areas immediately adjacent to malls. Consistent with this prediction, Engstad (1980) found significantly higher frequencies of auto crimes, thefts, and miscellaneous offenses in three urban census tracts, each of which contained a major shopping center… Areas with shopping centers had from 2.1 to 6.5 times as many offenses as the averages recorded for adjacent areas.”
There are plenty of stories of crimes that take place at malls. We are going to focus on the recent activity.
On New Year’s Eve, a shooting took place at the Mall of America in Minnesota. There were two victims from the shooting with no serious injuries. When bystanders and staff members heard the gunshots, the mall was put into lockdown. Local authorities believe the shooting was a result of an altercation.
In December 2021, Guilderland, New York, experienced an increase in violence by teenagers. Ranging in age from 16 to 17 years old, the teens assaulted shoppers at the Crossgates Mall with knives or guns.
Lastly, the Southlake Mall located in Indiana was closed for several days after a shooting took place on the morning of December 30, 2021. There were several reports of shots fired inside the mall, which it was subsequently put into lockdown. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
For most of us, these stories are scary, but won’t keep us from ever visiting a mall again. But if you do, how can you protect yourself?
One approach to personal protection is the OPTU system, which focuses on reducing risk and improving personal safety. The OPTU system is comprised of several smart concepts.
The first smart concept of the system is situational awareness. Situational awareness is “knowing where your feet are.”
The second smart concept is continual observation. It is always important to check your surroundings.
The next smart concept is communication. Communication is key in a mall since they are so open, with lots of people coming into the center.
The final smart concept is response activation. This is when you are assessing the situation and the appropriate response. Every situation is different. This is where you think of what the appropriate response would be based on the smart concepts we have used so far.
All those shops offering deals and discounts on the latest products and clothing styles, combined with so many food outlets and other diversions, make malls the ideal places to spend a few hours. However, a steady increase in crime at malls and shopping centers is a reason to think about how to make trips to the mall safer. Putting into practice the smart concepts that make up the OPTU system as you go about your daily lives will improve your personal safety and reduce risk in emergency situations.
