Ever dreamed of being a crime fighter? A superhero on a mission. Ensuring justice is served…

Two of our customers are doing just that. And no, they don’t wear masks and capes.

How are they fighting crime?

With technology.

They both have excellent security systems in place, and working with NZ Police, they’ve been catching crooks.

Here are their stories.

The power of social media

One afternoon about 3pm Cambridge florist Carleen Schultz noticed an item missing from her display that she knew had been there at 2.30pm.

Curious, she looked at her CCTV footage. That’s when she saw a ‘customer’ in the act of shoplifting. And the CCTV captured a crystal-clear image that made them easy to identify. Carleen contacted the police and gave them the image, but she also popped the photo up on Facebook.

Within 2 hours, family members of the shoplifter had contacted Carleen asking for the image to be removed from Facebook and the shoplifter had contacted the Police. Now that is a quick result. Even batman would be impressed…

CCTV installations like Carleen’s act as both a deterrent to would-be shoplifters and a way of catching shoplifters in the act. But Carleen is also finding other advantages.

• Staff are more accountable. They know they’re being watched
• Staff feel safer when they’re alone in the shop
• And it’s handy for price checks or questions from staff when Carleen’s not in the shop – she can check in on the action from anywhere.

Carleen says “The CCTV set-up we have now is totally worth the investment. You can’t really put a price on staff safety and we don’t have to put up with shoplifting anymore. If you shoplift, you’ll be caught on camera. And then probably caught by the police. Simple”

UPDATE: May 2017.

Carlene’s store Expressions in Chartwell, Hamilton was recently hit by a shoplifter. Once again the CCTV footage clearly captured the shoplifter in the act, the footage was forwarded to the Police and put up on Facebook. The Facebook post had over 100,000 hits within 4 hours and the shoplifter was identified and charged. Awesome.

Shoplifters beware

Life Pharmacy Matamata owner Peter McSweeney recently helped Police catch a shoplifter who repeatedly stole expensive products from his store. His CCTV caught a high definition image of the shoplifter, which he passed on to Police. The Police then used this image to help track down and arrest the thief.

Peter was driven to upgrade his security to a high-tech CCTV system after continually being hit by shoplifting in the fine fragrance department. Now strategically placed security cameras mean Peter’s shop is totally covered. There’s nowhere to hide for shoplifters – as the recently arrested thief found out.

Peter says “Theft is a huge problem everywhere and everyone pays for it. Shoplifters need to understand they don’t just have a free ride, there are shops with excellent security systems. The footage these cameras get is excellent.”

The police love the quality images well placed CCTV can provide too. It makes their job easier.

But, as good as it is to catch a thief, the main aim of Peter’s CCTV installation is to deter any would-be thieves. The installation includes a large screen right at the front of the shop showing live footage from the cameras. There is also signage around the shop. So people know they are being watched and will likely be caught on camera if they shoplift.

Read more about this case.

Why you need CCTV too.

If you own a business where theft is an issue, then CCTV is worth considering.

The high definition quality of the images is superb. And specific cameras can be matched to environments and tasks to ensure good clear images are always possible. This significantly improves the speed in which offenders can be identified and caught. Police love it.

Smartphone technology means you can access images anywhere, anytime. This helps with response speed and also adds convenience as Carleen has found.

You can learn about keeping your staff safe in last month’s article.

It’s important to get a CCTV system to meet your specific business needs. We can talk you through the best security options for your business. Today’s alarm and CCTV systems are packed with features and are very affordable.

And, a big thanks to Peter and Carleen for sharing their stories.

Interested to find out more? Give me (Gavin) a call on 027 578 1298 or request a quote

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