LOS ANGELES (KNX) — In response to the wave of smash-and-grab style robberies plaguing Los Angeles county, The Grove shopping center has added a high coil fence barrier to deter thieves.
The fence, which resembles barbed wire, has been added at the complex’s entrances and exits.
Management for The Grove told CNN the fence, which is made of a custom aluminum-and-steel mesh, is installed nightly after the mall closes and removed before it opens.
The Grove houses a Nordstrom—one of the high-end department store brands that has been targeted by flash mob robbers—that was burglarized late last month.
Authorities suspect a group of 18-20 people used a sledgehammer to break through the storefront window and swiped merchandise.Three arrests were made in that incident but authorities are seeking the others involved.
"The coil wire is a reasonably new technology in retail crime prevention," Mike Lamb, an expert in retail security and former vice president of asset protection and safety at Walmart, 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."
While the coil fence didn’t prevent November’s smash-and-grab looting, a spokesperson for The Grove told CNN the Nordstrom store entrance that was damaged faced a public street in an area that was not protected by the barrier.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Related
