A
Little wonder that affluent shoppers come in droves. Little wonder that others come as well, mugger, car thieves, child molesters, drug peddlers, pickpockets, shoplifters.
Criminals are finding a lucrative stamping ground in the sprawling emporiums that dot U. S. suburbs.
"Malls are like great big jars of honey," says Police Chief Joseph Delaney of Paramus, "lots of bees come buzzing in, stingers at the ready. " Paramus, a New York City suburb of 26000 whose six malls draw nearly 200000 people on a typical Saturday, reported 8.9 million dollars in shopping center crime losses last year.
B
It is crimes of violence that are causing the most alarm.
Vast parking lots and mazes of stores offer good working conditions for criminals. Victims and booty are readily accessible, escape routes plentiful.
C
Just how many victims are claimed by shopping center crime, no one knows. But many business people are taking the threat seriously.
Whether offences are big or small, it is clear that merchants have little interest in publicizing the trend. Comments Anthony Potter, a security consultant: "If shopping centres started reporting all the crimes that take place, nobody would shop there. "
D
Hamilton, Ohio, lawyer David Green, who won 2 million dollars on behalf of a woman abducted from a mall parking lot and shot in the head, found that 43 serious crimes had occurred at the same site. "Bad guys know this is where to find women with money-vulnerable and alone. " He says.
Indeed, most violence happens in parking areas, where shoppers can easily be taken by surprise. Reports Albert Sussman of the International Council of Shopping Centres: "People park their cars and are robbed by muggers, who can quickly find a place to hide.\