For consumers, a trip to the local shopping center typically carries no great risk. They might have to engage in a lengthy search for a parking spot. But unfortunately, as two incidents in two weeks in two separate communities illustrate, ownership groups and property managers need to take active steps to provide for shopping center security and parking lot surveillance.
On January 27, armed robbers made off with an undisclosed amount of cash from a video game store nestled in the center of a shopping center in Delaware. Witnesses provided police with a description of each of the three suspects. But while the brazen robbers’ likenesses did not go unnoticed by the victimized store employee, at no point did they cross paths with a shopping center or parking lot surveillance, a fact that has not aided the ongoing police investigation devoted to apprehending the criminals responsible.
Across the country, a second incident almost one week later occurred under similar circumstances. A manager walking across the parking lot outside his Waterville, Maine, rental center location was robbed at gunpoint, with the assailant making off with the store’s deposit bag after the close of business. Once again, no parking lot surveillance was available to investigators.
Implementing a comprehensive commercial live video surveillance solution in your shopping center can help to stave off similar incidents before they occur with an audible warning. The installation of several well-placed video cameras can deter criminals from selecting your place of business as their next target. And in the case where the unfortunate does happen, as in San Francisco & Maine, your video surveillance system can yield invaluable information to police.
These shopping centers are not clients of Stealth Monitoring. But, to find the right video surveillance solutions for your shopping center, contact us here at Stealth Monitoring today.
