Threats Heighten Need For Security Solutions For Malls

By Ally Kutz, contributing writer

With recent threats made to shopping malls, security integration is at an all time high. For VARs and integrators, this creates an opportunity to provide solutions that enhance security at these locations.

According to a report by CNBC, following threats to launch attacks on malls, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned shoppers to stay vigilant. Bill Thorne, a senior vice president at the National Retail Federation, said in a statement, “Retailers are moving quickly to implement their top-level emergency plans.”

With security concerns now at an all-time high, businesses are looking to implement the most efficient and secure systems in their locations. Jesse Tron, spokesperson for the International Council of Shopping Centers, said after the threats, malls “are working constantly on security. They are constantly looking to evolve it. So on days like today, when the threat is out there, they aren’t suddenly inventing it.”

Security has increased at schools over the past few decades, and security solutions in use in that vertical, as well as the challenges it has had to overcome, could apply to malls and other retail locations. In the article, “A Marriage Of Education & IP Video,” Steve Surfaro with Axis Communications says, “The IP video system … can solve a range of problems and provide solutions, with the simplest as a “force multiplier” or contribution to CPTED, or crime prevention through environmental design.  A video system’s primary use in these use cases is ‘forensic’ or after the event, so the biggest problems can be solved by video systems that allow for fast incident review by using tools like summarization or ‘synopsis’ of view, where video motion is fully represented in a compressed timeframe, yet can point directly to the high resolution content.” He adds that there can be benefit in solutions that read license plates and link to the National Crime Information System (NCIS) servers.

Solutions can also link to first responders decreasing response time. In addition, cameras, smartphones, and mobile devices can be used to create a connection among appropriate personnel and to provide remote capabilities, such as triggering door locks.

In retail applications, it is also important to keep security solutions as minimally invasive to customers as possible. According to Christine Kern, a writer for Integrated Solutions for Retailers, “most shoppers respond negatively to attempts to institute screening and security measures such as metal detectors that could hamper their shopping experience.”