That is one of the key results in the 2008 Reliance Security Services/Shopping Centre survey, the bi-annual report of UK shopping centre managers that seeks to identify security trends and issues.

The survey comes against a backdrop of heightened fears of terrorist attacks, the seemingly inexorable rise in anti-social behaviour and continued fears over child safety in the wake of some high-profile disappearances.

For many shopping centre managers and owners this has led to an increase in investment in their security provision across a range of requirements, including training, technology such as CCTV, staff numbers and increased liaising with other security agencies such as the fire and police services.

Other key findings include:

l Increased outsourcing of other services to security contractors;

l Continued prominent role played by manned security;

l Rising usage of new technology.

Almost three quarters of this year's survey respondents believe that licensing and regulation has had a positive effect on security within shopping centres. A majority of centre managers (59 per cent) cited improved vetting of personnel, while other areas to benefit include training (56 per cent), improved perception of security (48 per cent) and higher levels of security personnel retention (45 per cent).

Three out of four centres also reported that the implementation of licensing requirements went smoothly. However, those reporting problems with the new system cited delays in processing and issuing licences which resulted in recruitment and manning issues.

This was despite the Security Industry Authority (SIA), the government regulator, making a concerted effort to ensure that security providers and personnel were aware of the changes and the deadline of March 2006 in England and Wales, and the following year in Scotland. The backlog of applications was soon cleared however, and the SIA now believes the situation has been resolved.

And in a clear vindication of the new system, 89 per cent of shopping centres with security contracts said that they would not consider moving security teams in-house despite increases in security costs due to regulation. In-house security personnel are currently exempt from regulation, although there is an ongoing debate within the security industry as to whether that situation should continue.

Any move to regulate would have a not insignificant effect on the shopping centre market: one in seven respondents used in-house security teams, with 83 per cent of those canvassed contracting out their security requirements. The remainder used a combination of both contracted and in-house personnel.

Indeed, the majority of all shopping centres (82 per cent) believe that the in-house sector should be licensed in the same way as the contracted sector. Interestingly, this includes 65 per cent of in-house managers who are also in favour of regulation. While in-house managers can clearly see the benefits of regulation, only 13 per cent said they had considered outsourcing as a result of the introduction of licensing to the contracted sector.

Since licensing, there has always been concern that individuals who cannot obtain a licence in the contracted sector would seek employment within the in-house sector. When asked about this issue, only 22 per cent of in-house shopping centre managers - compared to 75 per cent in 2006 - believed that this was now the case. Although this indicates that centre managers with in-house security teams have not experienced significant problems in this area, 57 per cent still say that they now vet their security personnel more closely.

In the majority of cases, the centre manager is responsible for specifying security requirements (70 per cent). A further 13 per cent of centre managers hold joint responsibility alongside their managing agents, security or operational managers, while managing agents represent 9 per cent of those responsible.

One of the most significant findings of this year's survey was the rise in the contracting out of other services to security providers compared to 2006, with the most marked increases being in car parking (+31 per cent), cleaning (+37 per cent) and building maintenance (+85 per cent).

As well as security, other areas of responsibility that security companies are looking after for shopping centres include CCTV monitoring (77 per cent), car parking (38 per cent), cleaning (26 per cent), reception duties (24 per cent), building maintenance (13 per cent) and customer information desks (9 per cent).

Security contracts typically run for three to five years (53 per cent) with one-year contracts representing 23 per cent and two-year contracts 12 per cent of respondents. These contract durations are in line with the results of 2006.

The findings conclude that manned security (98 per cent) and CCTV surveillance (95 per cent) are still the most frequently used security solutions in shopping centres today. Other services include access control (56 per cent), mobile patrols (37 per cent), keyholding (24 per cent) and remote monitoring (19 per cent).

The number of centres using these different solutions remains at a very similar level to the 2006 survey results, with the exception of CCTV surveillance which has shown a marked increase, up 38 per cent since the last survey. This is likely to be a reflection, firstly, of the rise in costs of manned security following regulation and, secondly, developments in CCTV technology that have made its implementation and usage easier.

Increased CCTV usage also reflects the growing complexity of security challenges facing centre managers. When asked which future incidents were of most concern to shopping centres, the responses - similar to 2006 - were topped by bomb threats (66 per cent), followed by group and gang incidents (64 per cent), physical (64 per cent) and verbal (56 per cent) abuse and drug-related incidents.

Management is increasingly turning to using enforcement powers to combat anti-social behaviour. An exclusion process is now in place in 76 per cent of shopping centres, with 84 per cent of these believing that the process is very effective in dealing with prolific offenders and troublemakers.

Another issue vexing retail managers is that of lost children. Just over half (51 per cent) of respondents rated this as a major concern, a rise of 16 per cent, and perhaps a reflection of heightened awareness of child safety since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Also on the increase, up 29 per cent, are concerns over fire and flooding (58 per cent), the latter possibly due to the inclement weather of last summer and the widespread flood damage suffered by many parts of the UK.

Faced with such levels of multi-tasking, it's perhaps of little surprise that the survey shows strong relationships between centre managers and other security services. The majority of shopping centres continue to enjoy good working partnerships with organisations such as the police (98 per cent), local council departments (77 per cent), town/city radio links (74 per cent), town/city centre management (69 per cent), the ambulance service (69 per cent), the press (69 per cent) and retail crime initiatives (67 per cent).

One of the key aspects of the regulation of the security industry has been the emphasis on training and development, in an attempt to change the culture of a sector where a small number of unscrupulous operators have been responsible for tarnishing the reputation of the industry. And that does seem to be having the desired effect, according to the survey, with respondents reporting better-trained security personnel showing a willingness for ongoing learning.

When asked about the provision of additional training, 83 per cent of centres said they have taken precautionary measures by training officers to handle bomb scares and evacuations. Only 71 per cent, however, are aware of the national counter-terrorism initiative Project Argus, with just over two thirds of these having attended a Project Argus training event. Project Argus events are a new initiative from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), designed to train shopping centres in preventing and responding to terrorist attacks by taking participants through a simulated attack.

Other levels of additional training included the provision of first aid, with an impressive 96 per cent of officers now trained, customer care (81 per cent), conflict management (78 per cent), civil arrest procedures (43 per cent) and the correct use of heart defibrillators (37 per cent).

There was good news for the Security Industry Authority's Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS), which was introduced to encourage higher standards among security providers. Some 85 per cent of shopping centre managers confirmed that they are now aware of the scheme, while 78 per cent are aware of the benefits of using a security provider with ACS status. In addition, 75 per cent confirmed that their security provider was ACS approved, while 9 per cent did not use ACS approved providers and a further 18 per cent were unaware of whether or not their supplier holds ACS status.

A key benefit of the ACS is that it gives accredited organisations the ability to employ a small proportion of non-licensed personnel who are trained and have submitted an application, but who are not working with children or vulnerable adults.

Over the last year, 54 per cent of centre managers report an increase in spend on both manned security and CCTV. The remaining shopping centres report little change in spend on all areas of security including remote surveillance, access control and mobile response services.

In the next one to three years the main areas where centres anticipate future increases in spend include: CCTV surveillance (69 per cent), manned security (59 per cent), access control (14 per cent), remote surveillance (13 per cent), mobile patrols (8 per cent) and keyholding (4 per cent).

While technology is seen as a key area for investment, 94 per cent of centres believe that this will not be achieved through reduced manpower. When asked the reason why, 70 per cent said that a human presence and judgement was essential for the delivery of customer service, an effective response to incidents and as a deterrent. Other reasons included the flexibility that manned security offers in terms of providing useful additional services.

A recent online Shopping Centre poll indicates that 87 per cent of shopping centres believe that owners are likely to opt for centralised facilities management contracts in the future. When asked about current arrangements, 18 per cent of centres say that they have already integrated services, and a further 16 per cent intend to follow suit within the next five years.

When reporting on the effectiveness of security, 41 per cent of shopping centres use a computerised tracking and reporting system to monitor the status of activities such as security patrols and tenant feedback. Of those that don't, 43 per cent anticipate a future requirement - and half of these expect this to be implemented within one or two years and the remainder within five years.

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