*Famed LA mall The Grove has installed barbed-wire coil fencing to deter criminals amid a wave of smash-and-grab robberies in the state.
As reported by The Daily Mail, fencing around the entrances and exits of the mall were installed before Thanksgiving weekend, and security measures have also been increased. The stores at the mall are now using an anti-shattering film-coating on glass displays.
“The coil wire is a reasonably new technology in retail crime prevention,” retail security expert Mike Lamb told CNN.
“It looks like it’s designed to not cause injury, but (it) can tangle a person in it and slow down someone who is trying to get away quickly.”
A smash and grab incident happened at The Grove on November 22 when a group of looters stormed Nordstrom’s and stole $5,000 worth of merchandise, causing $15,000 in damage, per the report.
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Final few days to your grab your gifting essentials from the @ragandbone holiday pop-up! ????✨#ChristmasAtTheGroveLA pic.twitter.com/ACRHjFncAJ
— The Grove LA (@TheGroveLA) December 7, 2021
Meanwhile, retailers across the nation are taking extra precautions amid the spate of robberies.
“We have also increased our onsite security staff around the clock and have stationed security personnel throughout the center. Additionally, we have gates at entrances and exits that can be closed quickly giving us the ability to lock down the center within 1 to 2 minutes,” said David Blagg, general manager of LA’s Citadel Outlets shopping center.
Most recently, CEOs of Target, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Home Depot and CVS sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to pass legislation in response to the wave of store robberies in major US cities.
“As millions of Americans have undoubtedly seen on the news in recent weeks and months, retail establishments of all kinds have seen a significant uptick in organized crime in communities across the nation,” said the letter, sent by the Retail Industry Leaders Association.
The group wants lawmakers to take action against criminals who resell stolen merchandise, specifically online, according to the report.
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