October 10, 2013
Should Kenya Be a Wake-Up Call?
The recent terrorist attack at a mall in Kenya has brought the issue of mall and store security front and center once again. That was among the issues that brought Richard Mellor, vice president of loss prevention at the National Retail Federation, to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee yesterday afternoon.
"While shopping malls have been categorized by some as ‘soft targets,’ it would have been hard to imagine or prepare for the devastating attack conducted by terrorists at the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya last month," Mr. Mellor said in a statement. "Collaboration and partnership between retailers and law enforcement needs to remain strong and vigilant now more than ever."
In Kenya, members of al-Shabaab, an Islamic terrorist group, opened fire inside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi killing at least 67 and wounding many others. Local law enforcement and military response to the attacks has been widely criticized in the aftermath of the event.
The vulnerability of soft targets in the U.S. has become tragically clear in recent years as innocent lives have been lost in a handful of terrorist attacks, such as the Boston Marathon bombing and mass shootings carried out in malls, movie theaters, public schools and universities.
Mr. Mellor said retailers have protocols in place to deal with a wide variety of threats including "active shooter incidents" and when locations become the "target for a terrorist attack."
"Because these threats are always present, retailers invest heavily to ensure that they are prepared to deal with any and all threats against their businesses, their employees and their customers," said Mr. Mellor. "Moreover, retailers are consistently evaluating the effectiveness of their programs and seeking improvements. As criminals and threats become more sophisticated, so do retailers."
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Discussion Questions
Have you seen evidence that retailers and shopping center operators have become more sophisticated in dealing with acts of violence and terrorism as a result of tragedies in the U.S. and abroad? Where have retailers made the greatest strides in securing their premises?
Poll
No evidence due to the rash of smash and grab operations here in the USA. I personally saw two smash-and-grab operations here in Atlanta in broad daylight at two of the biggest malls here. One of those smash and grab jobs, I was with my child when they smashed the jewelry store glass counter.
The stolen rental truck smash and grab operations are more concerning to me. Retailers should look at more secure options to prevent such incidents, such as barriers and better surveillance.
I have not seen any indication that retailers have become more sophisticated in protecting their premises and customers from attacks. As I read the article I was thinking about some of the mall stores I visit. I doubt the staff there has the ability to protect themselves, much less me.
I think most malls and the retailers within them don’t have the money to allocate for security. They are all just trying to survive. So they prefer to wishfully think that this type of terrorism won’t ever happen here. I think they’re wrong and I am surprised (albeit pleasantly so) that there have not been more terrorist attacks on soft targets in this country. The apparent ease of smash and grab and flash mob robberies in some cities should be looked at as the canary in the coalmine.
The one thing that did not get much coverage in the Westgate tragedy is the fact that there were two or three Americans, from Minnesota, involved. It’s also true that there are American citizens (with American passports) involved in the genocide in Syria. None of these individuals have been captured. As demonstrated recently in Boston, terrorist attacks against “soft targets” in America is now a matter of when, not if.
Personally, I have seen no evidence that mall security has become more sophisticated. Perhaps this is a good thing, assuming that there are contingency plans in place that are effective and well-rehearsed. Let’s all hope that is the case.
This would seem like a trick question: if they really ARE being sophisticated, wouldn’t a part of that “sophistication” be that we are (largely) unaware of what the preparations are? But whether they are doing things or not, conventional threats – fires, plane crashes, random street or domestic violence – are a bigger concern here in the U.S than terrorism…something, of course, we should celebrate, not second guess.
Generally, US malls and retailers do not have cash flow to invest in sophisticated anti-terrorism or smash & grab prevention methods. They must rely on local law enforcement and basic protections like vehicle barriers at entrances. I do not see this changing in the foreseeable future.
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No evidence due to the rash of smash and grab operations here in the USA. I personally saw two smash-and-grab operations here in Atlanta in broad daylight at two of the biggest malls here. One of those smash and grab jobs, I was with my child when they smashed the jewelry store glass counter.
The stolen rental truck smash and grab operations are more concerning to me. Retailers should look at more secure options to prevent such incidents, such as barriers and better surveillance.
I have not seen any indication that retailers have become more sophisticated in protecting their premises and customers from attacks. As I read the article I was thinking about some of the mall stores I visit. I doubt the staff there has the ability to protect themselves, much less me.
I think most malls and the retailers within them don’t have the money to allocate for security. They are all just trying to survive. So they prefer to wishfully think that this type of terrorism won’t ever happen here. I think they’re wrong and I am surprised (albeit pleasantly so) that there have not been more terrorist attacks on soft targets in this country. The apparent ease of smash and grab and flash mob robberies in some cities should be looked at as the canary in the coalmine.
The one thing that did not get much coverage in the Westgate tragedy is the fact that there were two or three Americans, from Minnesota, involved. It’s also true that there are American citizens (with American passports) involved in the genocide in Syria. None of these individuals have been captured. As demonstrated recently in Boston, terrorist attacks against “soft targets” in America is now a matter of when, not if.
Personally, I have seen no evidence that mall security has become more sophisticated. Perhaps this is a good thing, assuming that there are contingency plans in place that are effective and well-rehearsed. Let’s all hope that is the case.
This would seem like a trick question: if they really ARE being sophisticated, wouldn’t a part of that “sophistication” be that we are (largely) unaware of what the preparations are? But whether they are doing things or not, conventional threats – fires, plane crashes, random street or domestic violence – are a bigger concern here in the U.S than terrorism…something, of course, we should celebrate, not second guess.
Generally, US malls and retailers do not have cash flow to invest in sophisticated anti-terrorism or smash & grab prevention methods. They must rely on local law enforcement and basic protections like vehicle barriers at entrances. I do not see this changing in the foreseeable future.