Security at the Elephant & Castle shopping centre in south-east London has improved in leaps and bounds over the last four years, thanks to the high level of commitment from centre manager Mike Knell and the centre's dedicated security team.

The bomb explosion at Princesshay in Exeter this May was another reminder to the shopping centre industry that retail businesses are at risk from terrorism.

They're known as the Coventry Falcons. They're not a football team; they're not rugby players. Their game is stealing people's identities from offices. They look very presentable, wear jackets and ties, perhaps. But they will sneak into your business, dip into unattended handbags and jackets, and take purses and wallets. Leaving your premises, they clone the credit cards using equipment in their vehicle.

A marked improvement in the quality and provision of security services has been reported by shopping centre managers following the regulation of the private security industry in the UK.

According to the police, some 80 per cent of CCTV footage is of such poor quality that it cannot be used as admissible evidence in the event of a prosecution. Clearly, it would be extremely costly to install high resolution cameras throughout a shopping centre, but at the same time, only having access to poor quality images instantly negates a vital function of CCTV: the positive identification of suspects.

New forms of retail crime, an evolving terrorist threat and the changing nature of shopping centres themselves all mean that retail schemes are having to constantly review their security.

Choosing the right CCTV system can be a minefield for shopping centre managers as technology continues to evolve.

A Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year is something we all wish for at this time of year, but statistics prove it's going to be anything but. False alarms triggered by stray festive trimmings placed too close to sensitive security detectors are going to test the patience of over-stretched and under-resourced police officers.

Ensuring you have a good communications system in your shopping centre is important. If retailers, security officers and centre management remain in constant contact, then incidents such as shoplifting, lost children or violence can be dealt with quickly and efficiently, without delay.

Town centre-wide security communications systems are a common tool for combating crime in the UK, enabling retailers, shopping centre owners and the police to work side by side towards a common goal.

In the current climate, security has an essential role to play in protecting our safety, assets and ultimately our freedom to go about our daily lives. In spite of this the appointment of a security provider is becoming more and more price-led, to the detriment of the security industry and you, its customers.

With terrorism in the country here to stay, retailers and shopping centre managers are having to up their security in a bid to keep consumers visiting the shops. But the key to preventing terrorist attacks is firstly to attempt to understand terrorism.

In a constantly changing and evolving market, new security products continue to make life easier for shopping centre managers and their security teams.

The advent of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and Part M of the Building Regulations mean those responsible for fire protection in shopping malls have a legal obligation to take into account the needs of people with disabilities.

Many shopping centres these days are going the extra mile to ensure their premises are safe places to shop and work.

The BRC is mounting a major campaign on retail crime - highlighting £2.1bn of stock losses every year though the front door of the shop as well as further back in the supply chain. And the recent mail bomb campaign shows that, today, terrorism comes in many guises.