Potential Troublespots
What You Can Do Elevators and stairs should never be placed in the back of the lot, but centrally instead. Access to and from them should be open and not intimidating. Since traffic in those stairs and elevators in not very heavy some other precautions have to be taken to insure safety of the shoppers. For one, stairs should be kept open, rather than enclosed by walls, so that person using the stairs is can be seen from the outside. This will prevent offenders form using stairs as escape routes or hiding spots, but will also prevent them from attacking shoppers there. Elevators should be equipped with cameras, well lighted, and if possible again be made of glass or other translucent material, in order to prevent it from being used for illegal purposes or as attack spots. These spots have less traffic and are therefore not well watched. If such spots can not be avoided, they should be equipped with mirrors, so that people walking in that direction or driving by can see what is going on there. There are rarely many people in a parking lot, so restrooms are rarely visited, and thus provide good hiding or attacking spots for offenders (as well as places for drug dealing and other illicit activities).
Possible Design Problems
Elevators and stairs
Dead end parking spots
Restrooms
