Client: Premium Retail and Entertainment Mall
Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
The Challenge
A high-footfall shopping mall in Bangalore, located near a busy arterial road, had recently undergone expansion, adding new entry points, a multiplex zone, and additional basement parking. Despite standard physical security measures, boom barriers, security guards, tire killers, the management identified operational gaps in vehicular control, especially during peak hours and late-night show timings.
Concerns were raised regarding:
- Vehicle congestion creating blind spots and tailgating opportunities
- Unrestricted approach lanes allowing vehicles to build speed near public congregation zones
- Emergency exits being misused as entry routes by delivery vehicles
- Increased threat perception following past regional alerts about potential soft-target attacks
The client needed an expert analysis of real-time vehicle behaviour across the site to prevent a possible hostile vehicle intrusion without hampering the mall’s customer experience.
Our Approach
MitKat was appointed to conduct a Vehicle Dynamics Assessment (VDA) to assess site-specific risks and develop practical mitigation strategies.
The assessment covered:
- Vehicular flow analysis across weekdays, weekends, and festival periods
- Simulation of hostile vehicle approach scenarios using high-resolution layouts and digital modelling
- Review of basement ramp geometry, slope-induced acceleration, and response time windows
- Audit of existing security infrastructure placement, spacing, and angle of exposure
- Tailgate testing and audit of procedural control for vendor and valet access
Findings and Recommendations
- Delivery vehicles entering through basement ramps could gain unintended acceleration due to slope and curvature, creating unsafe momentum
- Bollards at secondary gates were placed too close to the main access, reducing barrier reaction time
- No deterrence existed for motorcycles or small cars during off-peak hours
- Security guards lacked clear SOPs based on dynamic vehicular threat scenarios
Recommendations
- Install pre-slope hydraulic bollards to arrest vehicle acceleration before the basement entry
- Reposition barriers farther from the main lobby to increase stopping distance
- Develop time-based access zoning for delivery and valet vehicles to minimise overlap with public movement
- Conduct regular security drills aligned with VDA findings for both security staff and mall operations
The Outcome
- Enhanced protection for public congregation zones without disrupting shopping experience
- Reduced basement ramp acceleration risks
- Strengthened incident readiness through SOP revision and security staff training
MitKat’s Vehicle Dynamics Assessment (VDA) centric approach helped a leading Bangalore mall transform reactive access control into a predictive, risk-responsive system, blending high customer throughput with robust vehicular threat mitigation.