Reading Rob’s article of possibly the worst robbery in history, reminded me of a robber who once targeted one of my clients. This particular crime (and its outcome) emphasized the importance of designing surveillance systems that are quick and easy for police to access.
The crime at my client’s store occurred in the middle of the night, and there were no witnesses. Despite this, police were able to apprehend the perpetrator thanks to the surveillance footage from one of our cameras.
From the recorded surveillance footage we could see the suspect arrive on his bicycle. He hopped off his bicycle, picked up a rock, and threw it at the glass door attempting to break it. He was clearly intoxicated, and because of this, it took the suspect several attempts to break the glass door from only a few meters away. After finally succeeding at breaking the glass door with his rock, the suspect fled without stealing anything. He simply hopped back on his bicycle and rode away.
At this point I would love to tell you the police used the camera footage and brilliant detective work to track down and apprehend this drunken criminal, but that’s not what happened. Instead, this is the sequence of events that led to the suspect’s speedy arrest.
Alarm system
As the suspect attempted to break the glass door he inadvertently triggered our alarm system. We dispatched the police, but by the time they arrived the suspect had successfully escaped on his bicycle.
The police immediately went into the store (with the owner) located his DVR and played back the footage. The officers did not recognize the suspect, but they did get a clear understanding of what he (and his getaway bicycle) looked like. As the officers left the store, video footage in hand, a concerned citizen rode up on his bicycle and asked, “What happened?” Of course, the officers immediately recognized the man as the suspect from the surveillance footage, and he was promptly arrested.
Had my client not been able to give the police speedy access to his surveillance systems footage, it is unlikely they would have been able to identify and arrest the suspect when he foolishly returned. Surveillance footage is often the most important evidence in many crimes. While it is of extreme importance that we protect both the physical and digital security of such systems, we should also strive to create surveillance systems that never hinder or delay police investigations.
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I wish they all went that way, I guess that old adage about returning to the scene of the crime is true. We had an incident about a year ago where a group of guys pried a door open to one of our offices stole a laptop and a couple monitors and were never caught. We had video of them driving around the building before they broke in. We had video of the driver walking up and looking into the front door of the of building then driving away only to come back with friends to do the break in. … Read more »
@ Robert We had the same problem with our office there were clear images and footage of these break in thieves but authority can not find them let alone arrest them. I think CCTV is detterent and not security because they do not prevent these things from happening in any situation.
I think CCTV or any type of video monitoring is a deterrent for those not already committed to doing a crime. The guys who broke in to our office had obviously done this before and didn’t care that the cameras were pointed right at them. They were in and out in just over a minute with the security system going off from the second the forced the door open. Like anything else it’s only as good as the follow up.
Robert you have hit the nail on the head . Any camera monitors are deterrent equipments
Did anyone ever think to ask him why he came back? It’s great that he did, and this anecdote just goes on to show how important ease of accessibility of surveillance footage is. But this guy… all I can say is, he’s stupider than stupid, but at least he made the authorities’ jobs easier.
I don’t think CCTV systems have to be classified as one way or the other. I think it does fine for both purposes. It can be a deterrent and discourage would-be criminals from doing something they shouldn’t for fear of being caught. It could also lead authorities to capturing perpetrators who are caught on camera.
Like most systems, it doesn’t give a 100% guarantee that you can catch the bad guys. But at least you have the information to start the investigation.
I think CCTV will remain a deterrent because it could lead to the law being reinforced by various authorities .
@ ITs_Hazel Very good points about cctv potentially stopping a crime from happening, or helping authorities catch the criminal after the act. We have camera’s mounted around the perimeter of our home. A couple of these camera’s are strategically placed to be seen as you drive up our driveway. Our home was robbed a few years ago while we were vacationing for three days. We came home to our home in a shamble and everything of value had been taken. We “knew” who did it, but could not prove it. We installed the camera’s the very next day and have… Read more »
I was wondering the same thing…and also if the idiot tried to deny the video was really him!
CCTV is both a deterrent and a tool that can help authorities actually nab the criminals.
True, CCTV cameras really provided you with added security and tools to identify and catch the criminals, especially when there are no human witnesses on the scene. Sorry to hear about your home, but I’m glad there have been no such events since.
I think CCTV is mainly a deterrent equipment and sometimes can be used as tool for evidences when needed
@ ITs_Hazel
Thanks. We have learned much about home security since then, and we have also moved to a much more secure neighborhood with a lower crime rate etc. Camera’s do not always work, but they are a good deterrent. 😉
staceyE you are right. we can feel the detterence of being surveilled and looked upon by seeing a cctv camera in the place of shopping irrespective whether its working or not. I think it will be immeterial that it works or not till the time it brings the crime rate down.