The consequences of a Public Safety and Retail Security review uncovered that 55% of retail security chiefs are concerned or extremely worried about gunfire at their store areas and 88 percent say it is vital that retailers cooperate with law requirement. The overview of 195 retail security chiefs, law authorization authorities, and government organizations was held during an April 2021 gathering of public safety and retail security leaders discussing the Impact on Retail Security, and was supported by the Loss Prevention Foundation and ShotSpotter.
Key discoveries from the overview include:
26% report being very worried about gunfire in their store area, while 29% are concerned, 36% are fairly concerned, and 9 percent are not worried.
88% say it is vital that retailers collaborate with law authorization, while 12% say is it significant, and zero respondents said it was not significant.
Just five percent feel their security work force and partners are extremely ready to react to a violent episode on location, while 36% say they are ready, 46% are fairly ready, and 13 percent are not ready.
24% rate their security group joining forces with law implementation as extremely effective, while 69% say they are to some degree fruitful, and six percent say they are not effective.
In 2020, gun violence killed almost 20,000 Americans—more than any other year in the past twenty years—as indicated by information from the Gun Violence Archive. This makes the subject of public safety in retail locations and encompassing parking garage areas a significant issue for both security groups and local law enforcement agencies.
An Assessment of the Preparedness of Large Retail Malls to Prevent and Respond to Terrorist Attack, a study funded by the National Institute of Justice, was performed by the Police Foundation, the Vera Institute of Justice, ASIS International, the Midwest Research Institute, Eastern Kentucky University, and Carleton University.
State homeland security advisors were asked to characterize the level of preparedness of large malls in their States: Of the 33 who responded, 31 percent said “poor,” 24 percent said “fair,” 27 percent said “good,” and 18 percent said “very good.”
“The most frequently cited reasons for the “poor” rating were inadequate training and equipment, or the opinion that private security would be irrelevant during an attack because the responsibility for response would fall to law enforcement. When asked how retail malls could better prepare, nearly half (15) of the security advisors endorsed improved training for security staff and emergency responders.
The need for better training was also cited by the mall security directors. Fifty-two percent of the 120 who responded said that their employees received special training on preventing and responding to terrorism; however, 50 percent also said that their mall’s antiterrorism training was inadequate.
How can retail establishments be better prepared?
The study concluded that private mall security directors and State homeland security officials could take multiple steps to improve emergency preparedness. Their recommendations include:
- Conducting a formal risk assessment by experts.
- Curtailing access to air circulation systems and other sensitive areas.
- Monitoring deliveries.
- Using passive barriers to prevent cars with explosives from penetrating heavily populated areas.
- Developing and rehearsing detailed and coordinated emergency response plans in coordination with first responders and mall tenants.
- Standardizing antiterrorism training by setting minimum standards for frequency, material, learning methods, and performance measures.
- Enhancing partnerships with the public sector to maximize the expertise of State homeland security officials and first responders.
These measures would not only help prepare retailers against attack, but the risk assessments, emergency plans, and drills would also mitigate the impact of random acts of violence, fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.” – https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/ shopping-malls-are-they-prepared-prevent-and-respond-attack
To best prepare your staff for an active shooter situation at your retail location, create an Emergency Action Plan (EAP), and conduct training exercises. First Choice Detective Agency provides resources for conducting such training exercises.
For more information on creating an EAP contact Tony Daley at: https://firstchoicedetectiveagency.com
