Police looking to boost mall safety in 2026

At the recent Police Service Board meeting, safety at the local mall was a top concern.

Due to heightened theft and criminal activity at the Stratford Mall, Stratford police have met with mall representatives to discuss how they can help reduce the issue and improve safety for residents.

Chief Greg Skinner said he met with representatives from the Stratford Mall to discuss ongoing crime and theft, specifically at Paris Jewellers, as well as security and criminal activity that has occurred in the mall over the past 18 months.

Skinner said his discussion focused on several aspects of safety and increasing police presence, which he said will deter criminals and improve safety.

One strategy is to increase patrols by having police presence on site more often. Skinner said this is one approach that has already begun and has so far helped reduce ongoing theft and robberies.

“We have increased the presence of officers parked in the parking lots with a cruiser or walking through the mall,” he said. “We have been doing that since the last couple of robberies, and they are very grateful for the work that has been done by the members of our police force in increasing their visibility as a preventative piece.”

Another option discussed to increase safety, Skinner said, was the potential for a police kiosk in the mall to promote safety and reduce risk. He noted that several other malls, such as Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and several Toronto malls, also have similar kiosks.

“We will have to talk about what the visibility, expectations, and what we can provide on an ongoing basis to support that initiative could be,” said Skinner. “That's still under review, and once we have some firm decisions and directions, then we can come back to the board and talk about our next steps.”

Skinner said the mall has shared that they are comfortable covering the cost of the kiosk, which would not impact the local police budget. However, the cost of policing the location on a regular basis would need to be discussed further.

“We can't afford, at this point, to have an officer there during all hours,” Skinner said. “What we would have to do is have it as a drop-in, so an officer can go out, be assigned there as part of their patrol area, to go in and be visible. If, through the data analysis, we see that the visibility is needed near the end of the business day or on weekends, then we can certainly be a little bit more strategic about when we increase the visibility.”

“The point is to provide some sense of greater safety and security for everybody in the mall, and as a deterrent to people as they drive into the mall. If somebody was thinking about a robbery, and they see a cruiser parked in the parking lot, hopefully that will be enough of a deterrent to cause them to not come in and do whatever they were planning to do.”

He also discussed strategies and communication between different malls, and how having contact with other similar locations can help put stores such as Paris Jewellers on guard so they are aware of potential threats.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) was another way discussed to help prevent theft. CPTED is a set of principles used in urban planning, architecture, and community design to reduce crime and increase people’s sense of safety by shaping the physical environment. Essentially, it focuses on how the design of a space can influence behaviour.

Mayor Martin Ritsma added that he had spoken to the owners and staff of Paris Jewellers, who said that the current corner location is strategic and considered safer, as staff have quicker access to exits. He said a central location could leave staff more vulnerable if they were pushed to the back of the store without easy access to an exit.