STAYING SAFE AT THE MALL THIS HOLIDAY

A very long year is starting to wrap up, and the equally busy festive season is just around the corner. 

“When you make your way to the malls, please consider that criminal elements may also be flocking to these busy public spaces. Your personal safety should be a key priority no matter where you go in December,” says Charnel Hattingh, Group Head of Communications and Marketing at Fidelity Services Group.

Some of the reasons why shopping centres and malls are so attractive to criminal elements include:

1. There are a lot of people in one area which makes it easy for them to disappear into the crowd once they have stolen your handbag or shoplifted.
2. Criminals can blend in with other families. Women often use children to steal cellphones, handbags and the likes, especially in restaurants where they are “innocently” waiting to be served. After the crime is committed, they simply walk off into the busy crowd and blend in.
3. There are many ATM machines. On a busy day nobody wants to hold other customers up if the machine is giving “trouble”. This is when a “Good Samaritan” steps in and offers to “help” – actually helping themselves to your pin and bank card.  Before you know it, thousands could be gone from your account.
4. Parking areas are large, offering criminals a chance to sit in a car and identify their next target without coming across as suspicious. This could be a woman alone or with children or an elderly person.
5. It is easy to sit in a car and remote jam cars. Always check your car is in fact locked before walking away.
6. Most people do not notice what is going on around them. Always take note of your surroundings, especially when you are walking back to your car. Check where the car guard or a security guard is and signal for help immediately if you are suddenly approached by a stranger.

“Remain on guard at all times while shopping, be aware of who is around you and especially keep your children and valuables safe,” says Hattingh.

“We have all worked hard this year and deserve a time to relax. It is important to remember a few basic safety tips which are valuable when you are in any kind of environment where you are surrounded by lots of people,” says Hattingh. “It boils down to vigilance and awareness.”

You can make a massive difference by paying attention to what happens around you and by being alert. Criminals are often looking for people who are distracted, as they offer an easy way to quickly steal something. It can be anything from a pickpocket stealing your wallet while you stand in a queue waiting to buy a movie ticket, to someone grabbing your handbag you left on your shopping trolley while you turn your back.

Hattingh urges people to immediately act if they feel anything or anyone is suspicious.

“If you think someone is following you in a mall or if it feels like a group of people are intentionally crowding you while you wait to collect an order at a fast-food outlet, look for help or ask the people to give you some space. Trusting your gut feel is always a good idea.”

It is also a good idea to teach your kids how to identify someone or something that is out of place, while also reminding them to stay close to you when you are in a public space together.

Hattingh also recommends the following, which could help when you are out and about these holidays:

1. Leave the expensive items such as jewellery at home
2. If you have a daily walking schedule to and from the mall or office, change it often so that your movement does not become predictable
3. If someone stops you to ask for assistance, keep a safe distance away from them and keep an eye for other movement around you
4. Avoid drawing money from an ATM late at night, and if it is urgent rather consider going to an ATM in a well-lit space where a security officer is on duty
5. Leave the headphones at home. Anything that causes distraction is to be avoided
6. If something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable, look for help

“No one likes to think about crime and about what it can do to you or a loved one. We also don’t like to have to watch over our shoulders all the time, but it is a sad reality which we cannot avoid.

“Our wish is that people remember a few basic personal safety precautions which they could make part of their daily lives. This will hopefully make a positive difference in keeping everyone a bit safer from crime,” says Hattingh.