A seemingly ordinary lunch break at Sydney’s Broadway Shopping Centre took a terrifying turn for retail worker Shivanya Biswajeet in March. As she was enjoying her break, a stranger approached her with a chilling declaration: “Move, I have a knife.” The encounter, lasting mere moments, left Ms Biswajeet stunned, the man quickly disappearing into the weekend throng.
Upon returning to her store, the unease deepened when she learned a colleague had had a similar unsettling experience with the same individual. “It looks like he stole some of our socks … and when she went to go check on that fitting room after he left, she found an empty [kitchen] knife packet,” Ms Biswajeet recounted. The discovery ignited a palpable fear: “That’s when I started to really get scared … this guy is probably walking around with a knife, he could hurt someone.”
Following protocol, Ms Biswajeet and her colleague contacted security, who then advised them to call the police. The period spent waiting for law enforcement to arrive was fraught with anxiety. “She was left feeling ‘anxious’ in the shop, ‘worried this guy is still roaming around’,” Ms Biswajeet stated. She expressed concern that security personnel did not gather essential details about the suspect’s appearance or his last known location, information she felt would be crucial for their own surveillance efforts. “The fact that all they did was just tell us to call police, and they didn’t even bother to check what this guy looked like, whether he’s still in the mall in the first place. That sort of concerned me,” she admitted. “Even if they can’t interfere, at least they’d know who the guy is, where they are.” When police did arrive, Ms Biswajeet observed that the security team remained stationed outside the store and did not engage directly with the affected retail staff.
A spokesperson for Mirvac, the owner of Broadway, affirmed that their security team actively monitored the situation until the police arrived. “The safety of our customers and the community is our highest priority,” they said, adding, “We thank NSW Police and our security team for their rapid response and acknowledge the alertness of the retail team member whose actions contributed to a quick resolution.” Glad Group, the security contractor for Mirvac and the parent company of Westfield, Scentre Group, stated that their team “acted on immediately” upon receiving the report of the man’s behaviour.
The Shadow of Bondi Junction and the Push for Enhanced Safety
This unsettling incident occurred less than two months after the tragic stabbing rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction in 2024, which claimed the lives of six people and left ten others injured. The NSW Coroner’s findings on the event highlighted the primary role of security officers in Australia as observers, reporters, and escalators of incidents, explicitly stating, “They are not trained to engage with or attempt to detain offenders.” The subsequent inquest delved into preventative measures for future tragedies, acknowledging the profound impact of the Bondi Junction event on shoppers and workers alike.
The NSW branch of the retail workers union, SDA, has voiced significant concerns regarding workplace safety, with over a quarter of its members reporting feeling unsafe at work due to physical violence or verbal abuse. “The Westfield Bondi incident was a traumatic incident that reverberated throughout the retail industry and across our community,” said SDA state secretary Bernie Smith. “The response to the findings of the inquest need to ensure that retail workers can feel safe at work again.” In a recent development, Victoria Police apprehended a man allegedly carrying a knife at a shopping centre in Forest Hill. The SDA is actively advocating for major retailers and shopping centres to implement comprehensive violence control plans, encompassing risk assessments, training, and reporting systems, alongside increased onsite security and improved police coordination.
NSW Police confirmed that following the Broadway incident, a man was charged with shoplifting and stalking or intimidation with the intent to cause fear or physical harm, after reports of his “intimidating behaviour” towards another man. “No injuries were reported in relation to this incident,” a police statement confirmed, noting the individual received a community corrections order and a fine. Ms Biswajeet later learned from police that only scissors were found on the individual. “For all we know, he probably threw away the knife somewhere,” she mused, questioning the potential effectiveness of security measures if a situation had escalated to a life-threatening level.
A spokesperson for Glad Group reiterated that their guards attended the scene, monitored the individual, and managed the surrounding area, ensuring police were contacted and arrived promptly to resolve the situation. “The safety of customers and staff in the centre was our priority,” they stated.
Navigating Threat: The ‘Sliding Door Moment’ and Reporting Protocols
Historically, Ms Biswajeet’s team would typically report suspicious behaviour, such as theft, to security. “I actually knew I … really wanted to call the police, but I just wanted to confirm by calling security first,” she explained. Former counterterrorism detective Peter Moroney described such situations as a “sliding door moment,” where the decision of who to report to is highly context-dependent. He noted that some individuals react instinctively by calling Triple Zero (000), while others, particularly retail workers, may be trained to contact centre management first.
The parent company of Ms Biswajeet’s store operates under a safety program called “Calm, Warn, Act” for addressing aggressive customer behaviour. A spokesperson explained that this program mandates staff to seek third-party assistance when facing threatening or violent behaviour, with the reporting channel varying from shopping centre security to police or emergency services, depending on the severity and immediacy of the threat. In situations posing an immediate risk, staff are directed to call 000. Mr Moroney suggested that in active armed offender (AAO) scenarios, shopping centres could implement lockdowns to “deny and delay” risk before police arrival. He stressed the importance of security guards gathering critical information, such as “person, object, planning,” to aid in apprehending suspects. “It’s going to come down to what are the individual facts … and then what options were available to [people reporting danger]. I think [the Broadway workers] have certainly done the right thing and reported it to security.”
Promoting Vigilance: ‘Escape. Hide. Tell’ and Industry Collaboration
A key recommendation stemming from the Bondi Junction inquest was for the NSW government to actively promote the ‘Escape. Hide. Tell’ public service message for AAO events. This initiative guides individuals to move away from danger, conceal themselves, and contact 000 when safe to do so. The State Coroner also encouraged operators and owners of crowded places to disseminate this messaging to staff, retailers, and attendees. This recommendation is currently under review by relevant authorities, according to the state police minister’s office.
Angus Nardi, chief executive of the Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA), indicated that the industry collaborates closely with police on security threats. Mirvac is a member of the SCCA. “The SCCA has a longstanding engagement on relevant policy and law reform on community safety issues, including knife crime,” Mr Nardi stated. The council has focused on highlighting the “unacceptable nature of aggression, threats and abuse” directed at retail workers and has partnered with Crime Stoppers on a national campaign to encourage the public to report suspicious behaviour.
The Mirvac spokesperson confirmed that Broadway adheres to industry guidelines and conducts regular scenario training to ensure preparedness. “As per the Escape, Hide, Tell guidelines, in the event of an attack, anyone involved should contact police once it is safe to do so,” they advised. Mr Moroney commented on the potential effectiveness of public awareness campaigns, noting that their impact can be limited if “the majority of shoppers don’t know about it.”
