Covert
CCTV Equipment Gathers Evidence of Antisocial Behaviour
There
is a proliferation of CCTV cameras through the country which recently
earned the UK the title of 'surveillance society'. In fact, most people
are aware they are being filmed as they go about their daily business.
However, in one area, youths committing anti-social behaviour are oblivious
to the fact that that they have been 'caught on camera' from just six
inches away.
Fighting the complex problems of anti-social behaviour challenges district
and borough councils. While the term in itself covers a multitude of
different problems there is a range of pro-active techniques that can
be implemented to tackle many issues that if left unchallenged cost
councils and therefore taxpayers' unnecessary money.
Broxbourne Council's community safety team recently received reports
of youths causing antisocial behaviour and the stoning of passing vehicles,
particularly buses, in the local area. This group of youths were consistently
damaging council property.
The throwing of the stones had resulted in a number of bus windows being
smashed, which could have resulted in the driver losing control of the
vehicle, or a passenger being injured by flying glass. As a result,
the bus service on that route was withdrawn.
The Police increased uniformed presence in the area and also carried
out plain clothes operations, but this did not resolve the problem.
VIT was chosen to supply covert CCTV equipment to monitor the situation
and gather evidence.
The local authority contacted VIT who provided surveillance cameras
that were so well disguised that even from a distance of 6 inches, looking
directly into the lens the youths were unaware that they were being
filmed. VIT further deferred suspicion by placing a more obvious camera
close to the site of the disguised camera to attract the youth's attention.
The ploy worked successfully as the youths ignored the hidden camera
and set about tearing the dummy ploy camera off the wall and attempting
to destroy it. Other methods were used by VIT to delay the process of
destruction of the fake box to allow plenty of evidential video to be
obtained.
The system chosen was adaptable to a number of different situations,
particularly as the attacks took place mostly under the cover of darkness,
and the clarity of images secured assisted the police in the identification
and arrest of the six offenders concerned. As a result, there have been
no more stoning incidents in the area.
Because of the high quality ultra low light cameras used by VIT, obtaining
evidential quality footage day or night is assured. The boys in this
particular case were arrested and charged with causing damage to council
property including the dummy camera and successfully prosecuted.
Tel: +44 (0)1992 535 814
Email: info@vault-it.com
Web: http://www.vault-it.com