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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