Almost a year after a man was shot and killed in its parking lot, Yorkdale shopping mall has upgraded its security system.
Yorkdale says its new 29-megapixel surveillance cameras provide an ultra-detailed, 360-degree view of the parking lot and, by June, will provide the same view of the mall’s interior. The system will snap a shot of every vehicle’s licence plate as it comes and goes, and have a clear enough view inside to identify individuals.
"We are doing everything we can in order to protect you and create a safe environment and secondly to tell the criminals they're not welcome at Yorkdale," said Anthony Casalanguida of Oxford Properties, the company which manages the north Toronto mall.
The new $3.4-million system was partly prompted by shootings in the mall's parking lot last year, which killed one man and sent two others to hospital.
Yorkdale says it will wipe the license plate videos every 24 hours if there's no incident. Interior video of shoppers will be held for 30 days before being erased.