In light of this, in February Shopping Centre commissioned a survey from Reliance Security Services of those responsible for security in shopping centres, principally the shopping centre managers. From the questionnaires sent to more than 400 malls, 130 responded and the results have been compared with those obtained the last time this survey was carried out, two years ago.

As well as seeking to find out whether licensing security guards represented an improvement on the arrangements that had previously been in place, one of the principal objectives of the survey was to try and uncover major areas of concern relating to mall security.

Some of the survey's findings are revealing. Last year's much-publicised banning of youths sporting hoodies from the Bluewater mall was only the thin end of the wedge as far as centre manager respondents were concerned. 75 per cent of them cited 'fear of gangs' as the area of greatest concern. This figure, up 21 per cent from the last time the survey was carried out, is perhaps a measure of the perceived threat posed by potentially marauding gangs of feckless and ill-intentioned youth.

Perhaps in answer to this, the number of mall security guards being trained to keep us safe has grown by 61 per cent and of the centre managers who replied, 90 per cent had undergone some form of security instruction.

There were however other areas of concern felt to be compromising shopper well-being. Among these, was a strong sense of fear about bomb threats that, at 65 per cent of replies, was up 12 per cent from 2004. Perhaps fortunately, although the figure is still alarming, fear of physical abuse among shopping centre management has fallen from 2004's 74 per cent to an almost as unsettling 69 per cent. The best that can be said for this is that at least the numbers appear to be moving in the right direction.

Technology and its uses also featured. Over the last two years its deployment, in whatever form, has risen by 56 per cent. Practically, this probably means that the use of CCTV becomes ever greater and the incidence of digital system installation continues to grow. That said, 92 per cent of respondents said that they would not replace security officers with technology, regardless of the cost.

Worth noting at this point the thoughts of Ken Bickers, managing director at CCTV provider Sight Services, who says: "The manpower savings and health and safety benefits derived from CCTV are too significant to ignore, as well as the obvious value in addressing criminal and terrorist threats." He adds: "Growth in CCTV over the last few years has been driven by malls migrating from tape to digital recording technology and in extending the coverage of existing systems. Those centres still using tape all have plans to move to digital recording; the benefits are simply too large to ignore. There has also been a steady upgrading of cameras from the traditional pan/tilt/zoom cameras to high speed-domes."

But whichever way you cut it, the human face of security in a shopping centre remains a major issue for centre managers. At which point, SIA licensing and training hoves into view. Every centre manager claimed to be aware of the SIA licensing obligation and of the implications of the new legislation. More than two thirds however cited the cost of getting a license as a major disadvantage and half of the respondents said that it could lead to a shortage of security personnel.

There is also a distinct trend towards outsourcing with in-house security having fallen by 60 per cent since 2004 leaving just 12 per cent of respondents saying that they deal with security directly. There appears to be no particular reason for this other than that security, while increasingly important, is another thing that is capable of distracting centre managers from the task of managing their centres.

So where does this leave shopping centres and security? Is there any particular threat or problem that is head and shoulders above all others and which it would repay centre managements to concentrate on? The answer is probably not and Martin Taylor, chairman of the BCSC's security committee, goes a long way towards defining why this is the case: "Each centre is unique and each centre has to do its own risk assessment of which threat is likely to affect it. The problems that affect a centre deep in the shires are likely to be different from those in urban centres." The survey reflects a series of changes since 2004, but these changes are not uniform and drawing conclusions about the state of the nation is difficult. The one certainty seems to be that the requirement for a well-thought-through in-mall security system has never been greater.

Up to speed with SIA

The deadline for getting an SIA license has come and gone and in theory all mall security staff now hold a piece of paper proving that they have passed the relevant exam. But Neil Jobes, director at CMS Training comments: "As predicted, a significant proportion of those requiring a license had not done so by the required date. With the sheer numbers of guards and CCTV operators without a license, it is difficult to see how the SIA could consider prosecutions at this stage, particularly as some of the delay in obtaining a license is due to holdups at the SIA itself - this they blame on companies leaving it to a last minute rush." He adds: "What they are more likely to consider at this stage is what steps have been taken to obtain a license. Have staff passed their course? Have they taken a course or even been booked on to one?"

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