Westfield security guards in Victoria have claimed that their requests for more protection were not acted on in the months before the mass stabbing at Bondi Junction, while a union official has accused the retail giant of prioritising its brand image over their safety.Two security guards based in Melbourne who either currently or previously worked in Westfield centres told Guardian Australia they asked for greater safety equipment as early as August last year but no steps were taken by their local centres, the parent company or their security employers.Security staff in Westfield shopping centres are typically employed by security providers, which hold contracts with Westfield’s parent company Scentre Group, rather than working directly for Westfield. Both the workers Guardian Australia spoke to say they raised their concerns with Westfield centres and their security providers.The New South Wales government recently announced a review of regulations for shopping centre security after the death of security guard Faraz Tahir and the injury of his colleague Muhammad Taha at Westfield Bondi Junction.Helal Jawadi, a former security manager at Westfield Airport West in Melbourne, said last year after a series of violent incidents, including two knife threats, he repeatedly requested higher staff numbers and protective equipment, including stab-proof vests, body cameras and voice recorders.But his requests for additional protective equipment were rebuffed by his centre’s management because it was “not the Westfield look”, he said.“I gave them a couple of ideas, but Westfield won’t allow it, budget won’t allow it – even with a knife incident,” he alleged.“Eventually, I just realised that it wasn’t going anywhere with all the complaints that I put in.”Jawadi said he was told his centre’s management sent his requests up to Westfield’s parent company Scentre Group, but he heard nothing subsequently. Guardian Australia could not independently verify that Scentre had been informed of the requests.He also said he raised his concerns with his employer, security provider Assetlink, but was told his requests were Scentre’s responsibility. In response to questions sent by Guardian Australia, Assetlink responded that it considered the claims to be serious and would investigate.Jawadi said safety concerns and what he felt were dismissive attitudes to staff complaints had pushed him to resign.“To them, we’re literally just the number that does the job for them,” he said.Knife threats and attacks in shopping centres have risen in recent years, according to the security industry’s peak body, Australian Security Industry Association Limited.While safety fears have soared after Bondi’s stabbing and a machete fight in Victoria’s Woodgrove shopping centre last week, the Victorian Security Union said guards have been on alert since August last year, when a Westfield guard on Queensland’s Gold Coast was stabbed.“The frontline workers knew that this was coming, and Westfield have put their head in the sand,” the VicSU secretary, Robert Szuhan, said.“The Scentre group and managers in general are more concerned with the brand image of the shopping centres themselves than they are about the safety and concerns of security workers.”A security worker at a different Westfield in Melbourne, speaking anonymously to protect their ongoing employment, claimed repeated requests since August for stab-proof vests were also met with silence.VicSU said its members working in Westfield centres feared losing their jobs if they complained about limited access to protective equipment, thanks to the industry’s precarious contracting arrangements and casual workforce.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Afternoon UpdateOur Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotion“Our members are often too concerned with how they will be treated after they raise their concerns … that they will be moved off site, rather than be listened to, and that they might be out of a job,” Szuhan said.Guardian Australia understands Scentre Group is not aware of any formal requests from service providers for increased staffing or equipment.A Scentre Group spokesperson said the company had started providing Westfield staff with protective vests and would increase protection for security guards if deemed necessary after a review.“We are fully supportive of the security review the NSW premier has announced and will be participating in it,” the spokesperson said.“Our security work in close cooperation with law enforcement to contribute to a safe environment.“We are reviewing all aspects of security protective equipment and are supportive of increased protection for guards as is deemed necessary.“Security team members at Westfield Bondi are wearing protective vests and we’re working with our service providers to provide these to our teams expeditiously, across the Westfield portfolio.”Scentre’s chief executive, Elliott Rusanow, said last week the company had increased the number of security workers across Westfield sites.The NSW government is considering giving security guards more powers and equipment.“There are tough restrictions in place, both as to the power to detain as well as equipment that’s used by private security guards, so we’re looking at that closely,” the premier, Chris Minns, told ABC News Radio last week.The premier’s office declined to comment further, but the premier has previously ruled out increasing guards’ access to stun guns or firearms.



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