"This is not just the Mandurah Forum, it is everywhere," he said. "They need to harden up and work with the security company, and allow security to do their job and keep the place safe." Mr Haines said anti-social behaviour at centres could damage retailer livelihoods. Security guards should go back to arresting people, using handcuffs to detain people and then hand them over to police. "It means having to arrest people, like we used to, and as a last resort we'd use handcuffs," he said. Nowadays, Mr Haines said security officers were briefed to "observe and report".

"At the moment they are being able to run amok and know they can't get in trouble," he said of those who behaved badly. "If you are not going to detain someone, for the police to then prosecute them, then it's going to keep going." He said by the time police arrived after an incident, often the perpetrators were gone. Guards were not effective deterrents, he said. In fact, they were often regarded as the "entertainment". Shopping centre security guards should crack down on anti-social behaviour, says a former centre manager.

Handcuffs are legal for security officers to carry in Western Australia, however, the use of them may present legal risks if a person is detained without justification. Mr Haines said properly trained security officers would not have any issues. "We used to have a zero tolerance approach," he said. "Where appropriate we would arrest and detain them and wait for police to come and get them." He said in 10 years of using handcuffs, he had not received one official complaint. A WA Police spokesman said Mandurah District officers had a good working relationship with security officers at shopping centres across the district.

Police would rather security guards call them in to deal with serious situations than expose themselves to unnecessary additional risk. "Security officers provide a visual deterrent for crime and anti-social behaviour and effectively deal with many situations that arise," the police spokesman said. "Where a situation is clearly escalating we encourage security officers to request police assistance so police officers can attend and use their legal powers to resolve the situation. "The role of a security officer is important and we would rather they call us in to deal with serious situations than expose themselves to unnecessary additional risk." Cockburn Gateway management said they were committed to providing a safe and secure shopping

environment for customers, which meant a policy of zero tolerance towards anti-social behaviour across the board.

"Our security measures continue to be reviewed and updated," a centre spokesperson said. 'Rampage' at Gateway Shopping Centre, Cockburn. Credit:Nine News Perth "Banning notices are issued to those instigating anti-social behaviour and these notices are

enforced." But Mr Haines said the centre should consider using some of their security budget to pay for police to patrol the centre. He said two police officers were worth many more security guards when considering the deterrent effect. Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association WA secretary Peter O'Keeffe he was not opposed to the use of handcuffs by security guards.