A bumbling thief stealing ladders and other equipment was caught on camera by a video surveillance installer.
The man was caught on camera by Barrie Smith, whose video surveillance installation van was parked in the driveway. The thief didn’t take Smith’s expertise into account when he walked up the driveway and stole the ladders.
Speaking to the Telegraph last month, Smith explained how he checked the surveillance images when he realized the equipment was missing:
I went straight to my CCTV and looked back through, and there he was, plain as day, helping himself.
He was not a very good thief. His clothing has some really big logos on, and he looked straight at the camera. He could not have been more obvious.
Smith put the images onto Facebook and YouTube, which led to an arrest and the return of the ladders, worth around GB pound 200. The man was issued with a police caution because of his crime.
A real good news story, and some great PR for Barrie Smith’s business and the effectiveness of video surveillance. Smith added:
I was offering a reward, but the person even said ‘I don’t want anything for it, I am just glad you have got your ladders back’.
It just goes to show the power of social media and a good CCTV system.
Free Download: The Video Surveillance Report 2023
Discover the latest developments in the rapidly-evolving video surveillance sector by downloading the 2023 Video Surveillance Report. Over 500 responses to our survey, which come from integrators to consultants and heads of security, inform our analysis of the latest trends including AI, the state of the video surveillance market, uptake of the cloud, and the wider economic and geopolitical events impacting the sector!
Download for FREE to discover top industry insight around the latest innovations in video surveillance systems.
