During the busy second week of the school holidays, the South.Point shopping centre in Tuggeranong has deployed extra security guards and engaged with ACT Policing to help stamp out anti-social behaviour within the building.
It comes after a video in June went viral of three young people riding e-bikes inside the centre, with one doing a burnout on the floor.
Centre manager Keith Woodman said the seven-day crackdown was mainly focused on informing the public that items such as e-bikes, scooters and motorbikes were not allowed inside the centre, as well as enforcing respectful behaviour to retail staff.
"We're educating our customers and our visitors that anti-social behaviour won't be tolerated," he said.
In a similar blitz in March, the centre said security staff "intercepted 193 prohibited items before they entered the centre".
Mr Woodman said they were mostly e-scooters and bikes. No weapons were found. People were either turned away from the centre or, in some cases, things like skateboards could be stored by security until people finished their visit to the centre.
On Monday, day one of the second security campaign, more than 60 people had been stopped from entering with a skateboard or scooter, and many of them had been young children.
The current blitz was about educating people about what could and could not be brought into the centre.
"Ninety-nine per cent of them say, 'Thank you very much' and they're actually quite co-operative," Mr Woodman said.
Mr Woodman acknowledged that some young people used e-scooters and skateboards to get to the centre and were worried about leaving them outside because they might be stolen.
Security guards at the centre would store the items inside the centre for however long was needed.
"There's always that option," Mr Woodman said.
Mr Woodman said South.Point had 24-hour security and CCTV cameras in use and extra security had been engaged for busy periods including the school holidays to also prevent any problems unfolding within individual stores.
"We have a relationship and a duty of care to all our retailers as well. So if there's an incident in one of the shops, our security guards attend. And if there's an incident that requires police assistance, then triple zero is called immediately," he said.
Acting Superintendent Nigel Booth from the south district of ACT Policing said "increased police presence in the shopping centres does help mitigate any anti-social behaviour".
But he would not be drawn on how often patrols might occur in South.Point or if they had been increased in recent times.
"Our patrols apply an 'anytime, anywhere' principle," he said.
"We won't be saying that we're increasing or decreasing them. They could happen at any time, at any place."
"Shopping centres and retail staff are part of our community and deserve the same level of respect and safety as the rest of the community deserves," he added.
"We're not only out there on the roads, we're not only in the suburbs, we're in shopping centres, we're in the business districts. So, our safety police remit is safety to all parts of Canberra."
In the weeks after the viral video, police seized an electric motorbike believed to have been used in the incident at South.Point and identified a 15-year-old boy believed to have been riding it at the time.
"Our investigation is ongoing and we're still talking to those involved," Superintendent Booth said on Tuesday.
When asked if it was reasonable for the community to ask what parents were doing about their children's anti-social behaviour. Superintendent Booth said "ACT Policing is not here to actually tell the parents what they should or should not do".
"ACT Policing are here to support the parents in relation to what their children are up to and we will provide any support that we can," he said.
"However, our primary role is the safety and welfare of the community, not just the parents or the children. So it is retail workers, it's the elderly, it's the road useres, it's right across the jurisdiction."
Brindabella Labor MLA Caitlin Tough was pleased to see South.Point and police working together to crack down on anti-social behaviour at the centre.
"South.Point is my local big shopping centre and I come here at least once a week, if not more often, especially being school holidays, there's so many activities to do with the family," she said.
"I feel safe shopping here, I've always felt safe coming here. I worked in retail for more than five years of my life, from a teenager into my early 20s, and I find shopping centres just such a fun place to be.
"I know that things have changed over the years in shopping centres, but I think when people start to be scared of shopping centres, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy so we need to actually come to our shopping centres, hang out here, encourage kids to hang out here in a positive way with their friends, like I did as a teenager and as many of us have done. Enjoy the free activities, enjoy the shops, because it is a safe and welcoming place for everyone."
ACT Policing had a community stand at South.Point on Tuesday, with officers talking with locals and giving out stickers to children.
Superintendent Booth said interacting with the community in that way and other ways, such as checking in on children at the local skate park, was a good way to build trust with young people.
"I can say that my officers, myself, pretty much everyone who works at the Tuggeranong station and the other stations and in the background of ACT Policing, we're all members of this community as well, so we do like engaging with the younger people, the older people, no matter where we are," he said.
"So, it creates a trust in the police and it also enables the police to understand the community and goes to the social cohesion of the ACT."
