NILES, Ohio - Niles Police will be increasing it's presence at the Eastwood Mall. Their activity isn’t because of any increase in criminal behavior but because of its new substation. The Niles Police Chief, Jay Holland said this new space will provide a level of convenience for his officers.

“When they have a call out here instead of taking their report information and driving all the way back downtown they can just stop here and there's a computer in there they can do everything they can do at the police station in here,” Chief Holland said. 

The Eastwood Mall does have its own security - but they are not sworn officers so they work together with the Niles Police if anything happens. 

“Niles police come in if an arrest has to be made, if someone has to be removed from the property because they’re trespassing, that's where they have that authority,” Joe Bell, Spokesperson  for the Eastwood Mall said. 

“We’ve always worked hand and hand with them. They’re like an extra set of eyes for us out here,” Chief Holland said. 

The mall has seen instances that require police to intervene like fights and shoplifting. All things the police chief said are typical. 

“Anytime you have a large presence of retailers you're going to have criminal activity,” Chief Holland said. “Having extra officers present out here is also going to deter that. If there's an officer here typing a report up and a call goes out, they're right here.”

Bell said the mall is normally a pretty safe place and this will continue that. 

“We think it adds just another layer of enhanced security, not just for Eastwood Mall but for this whole part of Niles,” Bell said. 

The substation won’t be manned by an officer 24/7 but the Niles officers will continue to patrol inside and outside the mall everyday as usual.