By Tommy Taylor For Dailymail.Com

Published: 16:54 EDT, 14 December 2021 | Updated: 17:25 EDT, 15 December 2021

A luxury Los Angeles outdoor shopping center targeted by looters during the spate of smash-and-grab robberies plaguing the state has installed barbed-wire coil fencing to deter criminals.  

The Grove added the fencing around the entrances and exits of the property before Thanksgiving weekend in an attempt to keep stores safe during the busy holiday shopping season.

The shopping outlet has also increased security measures, beefing up police presence by hiring off-duty officers to monitor the area and adding security cameras.

The stores at the complex have also upgraded their glass displays with a specific film-coating exterior that keeps the windows from shattering. 

'The coil wire is a reasonably new technology in retail crime prevention,' retail security expert Mike Lamb told CNN.

'It looks like it's designed to not cause injury, but (it) can tangle a person in it and slow down someone who is trying to get away quickly.'

Famed LA shopping outlet The Grove has added barbed wire fencing at the entrances and exits of their store as an increased security measure

The fence comes amid the rise of looting crimes attributed to the trend of smash and grab cases in LA

The popular shopping outlet, which opened in 2002, has also increased police presence and have replaced glass windows with a special coating exterior

The Grove was previously the site of smash and grab incident on November 22 after around 20 looters broke into a Nordstrom's and stole $5,000 worth of merchandise and caused $15,000 in damage  

The security measures come amid a wave of retail looting across LA, as well as San Francisco and Chicago.

The Grove, an open-air mall located on part of the city's historic Farmer's Market, is anchored by Nordstrom and features other top retailers such as Apple, Nike, Swarovski, TopShop/Topman and American Girl Place. 

Despite the barbed wire, around 20 looters ransacked Nordstrom using sledgehammers to break the displays on November 22.

The crew stole $5,000 worth of merchandise and caused $15,000 worth of damage. 

The merchandise has since been recovered by police and the looters involved have all been arrested.

A spokesperson for the outlet said that the wire fencing prevented the thieves from entering the enclosed area of the mall, while Nordstrom was outside barbed wire.

Other LA shopping areas, such as Citadel Outlets, have also tightened security.

'We have also increased our onsite security staff around the clock and have stationed security personnel throughout the center,' general manager David Blagg told CNN.

'Additionally, we have gates at entrances and exits that can be closed quickly giving us the ability to lock down the center within 1 to 2 minutes.'

A map shows the locations of some of the major smash-and-grab robberies that have  taken place in Southern California

LA crime is on the upswing, according to police statistics. Homicides are up by 46 percent, car thefts are up 53 percent and shootings have risen by a staggering 51 percent in Los Angeles compared with the same time frame through November 27 of 2019

There were 7,542 robberies in Los Angeles this year through November 27, the LAPD's most recent data indicate, which represents a 3.9 per cent increase from last year

Members of the Retail Industry Leaders Association sent a letter to Congress in hopes the politicians crack down on the rampant crime.

'As millions of Americans have undoubtedly seen on the news in recent weeks and months, retail establishments of all kinds have seen a significant uptick in organized crime in communities across the nation,' the letter read.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged the problem faced by retailers. 

'We have seen some of these extremely disturbing videos showing retail theft,' Psaki said last Tuesday. 

'State and local leaders like Gov. Gavin Newsom have identified this as a serious concern. We agree. That’s the reason why we have sent additional support from the FBI providing additional assistance.

'It’s one of the reasons why the president and members of our administration have been longtime advocates for supporting and funding the COPS program.'

A suspect wields a hammer during a jewelry store robbery in Los Angeles in November

Newsom also is working to increase security measures after reports surfaced that the looting has been at the behest of organized crime rings that pay the thieves as little as $500 to swipe luxury goods and then resell them online for thousands of dollars.

'Shoplifting and retail theft crime rings are unacceptable,' a spokesperson from Newsom's office told Fox News. 

'The governor expects these perpetrators to be prosecuted and held accountable for their crimes," he said. 

'He has also taken immediate action to increase CHP presence on highways near popular shopping areas statewide. 

'This year, Gov. Newsom signed legislation to extend the California Highway Patrol Organized Retail Crime Task Force, and he is committed to taking additional action in his January budget.'

Proposition 47 was passed by California voters on November 5, 2014.

It made some 'non-violent' property crimes, where the value of the stolen goods does not exceed $950, into misdemeanors.

It also made some 'simple' drug possession offenses into misdemeanors, and allows past convictions for these charges to be reduced to a misdemeanor by a court. 

Under California law, though, if two or more person's conspire to 'cheat and defraud any person or any property, by any means which are in themselves criminal' they can face no more than one year in county prison, a fine of $10,000 or a combination of the two.

However, 'woke' US city officials have been criticized for how they have handled these issues.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has been slammed for his progressive politics since he took office last year such as letting criminals run free as they await their day in court.  

On December 2, LA police arrested 14 suspects alleged to have been involved in 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores last month, where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen in strikes on an LA Nordstrom, a Lululemon in Studio City, a Fairfax district store, and a CVS pharmacy in South LA. 

However, due to city's zero-bail policies, the suspects were all released within hours of being handcuffed and are currently walking the streets while they wait for their cases to go to court.  

'If you look at the 14 people arrested, they could have been charged, there could have been bail amounts set, but none of that was done because the district attorney refuses to take a leadership position on this issue,' prosecutor Eric Siddall told Fox, slamming Gascon office's do-nothing approach to the rampant crime wave currently afflicting cities all across the Golden State.   

In a statement sent to the outlet, Gascon's office said that it was looking into the suspects' cases with LAPD officials and 'will hold those responsible accountable.'   

Others blame the voter-approved measure Proposition 47 -passed by California voters on November 5, 2014 - which reclassified felony thefts cases under $950 to misdemeanors. 

Siddall, however, disagrees, and said Monday that Gascon bears sole responsibility for the dangerous phenomenon.

'We didn't have these flash mobs for many, many years,' Siddall said. 'You really cannot blame Prop 47. When people are engaged in a conspiracy to commit larceny, that becomes a felony. You can't say that the law is weak on these issues. You can't say that the judiciary is weak on these issues.'

Footage from the aftermath shows the glass door was shattered in the incident, and the shelves were completely empty

A suspect was seen running away with an armful of merchandise after stealing from a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco's Union Square on November 19. Five arrests have since been made

San Francisco and other cities in the Bay Area have also been targeted by bands of brazen looters.

Officers have already made a string of arrests in relation to the late-November attacks, which police previously posited were related.

Three arrests have been made in connection with a coordinated attack on a Nordstrom store in the wealthy Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, California, on November 20.

An estimated 90 people overran the posh boutique and made off with more than $100,000 of merchandise before escaping in 25 separate cars that had their license plates removed or covered, prosecutors said.  

According to officers and witnesses on the scene, several of the suspects donned ski masks and crowbars during the store attack in the San Francisco suburb. 

Suspects also assaulted employees while fleeing the scene, with one hit with pepper spray during what police called a 'clearly a planned event.' Walnut Creek police said they arrested two suspects and recovered a gun. 

Five others have also been arrested in relation to a similar strike on a San Francisco store the day prior, which saw somewhere between 20 and 40 people storm a Louis Vuitton in the the city's Union Square and make off with thousands of dollars of products.    

Other US city officials such as Chicago Mayor Kim Lightfoot have also come under fire.

Lightfoot has responded to criticism she received about not taking action for these crimes as she has placed the blame on retailers for not enforcing heightened security.  

'We still have retailers that won't institute plans like having security officers in their stores, making sure that they've got cameras that are actually operational, locking up their merchandise at night, chaining high-end bags,' she said. 

'These purses can be something that is attracting a lot of organized retail theft units.'  

Two men came into Gold Coast Auto Gallery on Saturday in Chicago's Near North Side neighborhood and stole millions of dollars worth of luxury watches

 One stood by the door with a gun while the other smashed a display case with a hammer

'Woke' Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, seen at a June news conference, has been criticized for his progressive policies since stepping into office

The most recent Chicago smash and grab incident saw two men robbing luxury car dealership Gold Coast Auto Gallery on Saturday which saw eight luxury watches worth millions stolen. 

One stood by the door with a gun while the other smashed a display case with a hammer, stealing at least eight luxury watches.   

Dealership owner Joe Perillo told FOX 32 Mayor Lightfoot and other officials need to take action or businesses are going to leave the city.

'I have a place in the suburbs. The place is wonderful. There's no crime out there,' he said. 'People don't want to come into the city.'   

'The mayor and Kim Foxx have to take a firm stand. It is wrong for someone to break into a place - if they get caught, they get let out!' he argued. 'If they get arrested, they get let go. So, how do you intend to ever solve that problem?'

He added: 'If they don't do anything about this, they're going to lose a lot of businesses. They lost Macy's. They're losing Neiman Marcus. They may lose this store.'  

Chicago District Attorney Kim Foxx is also facing scrutiny after it was revealed she made an effort to help embattled actor Jussie Smollett get away with staging his own assault. Officials say Foxx liaised with the Empire star's relatives and tried to persuade the FBI to assume the investigation days after the attack.

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Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group