Securing Our Car Parks

Wednesday, 2 December 2009

Securing Our Car Parks

SPECIAL REPORT: Sunway Pyramid

We spoke to Kevin Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Sunway Pyramid on the measures taken to ensure the safety and security of shoppers. He noted that the mall noticed a high incidence of vehicle owners leaving their cars unlocked or their windows down (see the chart). This is what he shared with us:
1. What is the number of parking bays you have at this point on your property?
Sunway Pyramid has 5,000 bays within the mall and another 5,000 bays from the hotels as part of its integrated parking. This means if need be, car parks can be opened up for access between these properties

2. What is the current staff force dedicated to ensure the maintenance, security and general well-being of car parks in your property?
We have 120 staff comprising car park staff and security personnel. This is for the mall alone. The other property (hotel) operates their security and car park staff.

3. What security features have you installed ie how many CCTVs, how many people man the CCTVs monitors round-the-clock, how many guards patrol your parking bay areas?
We have a few ways to maintain security in the mall - bicycle patrol, foot patrol, motorbike patrol, CCTV monitoring, Smart Chip tagging, ladies escort service (on demand) and auxiliary police.
There also notices and reminders placed at certain floors to remind car owners to not to leave any valuables in the car. And during peak periods, our security guards will assist by handing out safety reminders when shoppers drive into the mall.
But we noticed from our security report, motorists do have to be vigilant as well as the numbers of unwound windows and unlocked cars are also high. We have about 20 men patrolling the car parks at all time. This is not inclusive of those unscheduled checks by personnel who man the shopping floors. A 2-man team on shift basis take turns to monitor the CCTVs round the clock at the control room.

4. Please do enlighten us on the extent to which your parking bays are lit and if there are areas which need lighting up very soon.
All our carparks are lit.
5. Many residents complain of poor ventilation in basement car parks. Is anything being done to correct the poor flow of air which results in people feeling like they are walking in a sauna when they step out of their car?
Generally the basement car parks at our mall are quite ventilated. Heat usually is created from the vehicle emission. The Car Park Guiding System (i.e. carpark bay indicators) helps to reduce the time needed to circle around for an empty bay. This helps drivers to move on and helps in reducing the heat build-up. Bay counters information boards will inform motorists if a floor is full or not. Besides, low energy consumption lamps like the T5 are used in the car park. The lamps produce less heat and doesn't compromise its luminance. This helps keep the car park cooler.

6. There are parking facilities in hypermarkets which are outdoor and extend quite a distance from the main building. Are measures being taken to ensure shoppers are safe when they walk to and from the building?
Not applicable for us as all our car parks are covered.