The 'How to avoid being pick-pocketed' Guide! (A must read for tourists, locals and business owners!)

How to avoid losing your valuables or your business to theft?

This week on the Cams in Action blog we would like to discuss Pickpockets. The highly skilled thieves move fast and are trained to steal your wallet and other valuables without you even knowing it. According to the New South Wales (NSW) Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, stealing or theft accounts for the greatest amount of reported crime and pickpockets are the absolute professionals in this domain. What seems like a commuter going about his or her day can actually be a thief waiting for their mark to be off guard.

You can never be too careful whenever you’re in a public place. Many pickpockets roam busy streets and intersections to find a victim, known as a mark, among the crowd. Once they have picked their victim’s pockets, they blend in with the rest of the swarm of people and the poor pedestrians never knew what hit them. There are, however, some pickpockets who take a much bolder approach. They enter public places such as restaurants, libraries, and internet cafés looking for someone who is too busy going about his or her business to notice that their purses, wallets, cell phones, and other valuables have already been stolen.

Pickpockets Caught on CCTV Cameras

Many public establishments install CCTV cameras to prevent criminals from robbing the business. However, instances where footage taken by these security cameras was reviewed to help pickpocket victims within the store is not uncommon. 

Take a looked at the attached video. We see how easily a pickpocket was able to carry out his theft within the premises. It’s easy for pickpockets to find a mark in places like internet cafes, because people are usually busy, focused on something on what is in front of them and situationally unaware. Most of the time, the thieves target those who leave their belongings unattended or those who hang their jackets and bags on the back of their chairs.

If the establishment has invested in CCTV, the cameras are able to capture every second of the incident, from the time the thief has found his mark to the time he leaves with that person’s phone, wallet, or purse. With the thief’s face caught on camera, it easier for Police to identify and catch him or her. Experienced criminals do try to keep their head down and wear baseball caps or dark glasses to hide their faces from the watchful eyes of the CCTV cameras. However, even the clothes worn by the pickpocket can help in his or her identification.

The footage of the theft can be used as evidence against the thief if and when they’re caught. Although the damage has been done by the time the footage is reviewed, if just one pickpocket is caught, it can still have a major deterrent on future theft attempts at the premises.

Protecting yourself from Pickpockets

The easiest way to get your pockets picked is to be unaware. A person who looks lost or clueless is an easy target for professionals and is most at risk of having their belongings stolen. If you really want to keep pickpockets at bay, you need to stay alert to your surroundings and make sure that all your valuables are close to your body at all times. A good habit is to have any bags kept in front of you, place your foot or rest your arm over the bag or one of the straps. This way if you don't see the pickpocket approach, you may feel that the bag is being handled. Remember there is no better deterrent than to be aware of the risks, if the pickpocket sees this it is likely that they wouldn't even bother with taking the risk of being caught and simply exclude you as a mark.

A daring thief may still try to steal your things by distracting you, but if you pay enough attention to your surroundings, you may be able to catch the thief before he or she runs off with your things. Another way to keep your belongings safe inside restaurants, internet cafés and other establishments is to sit within the range of a CCTV camera. A thief would definitely take note of where the cameras are before he or she strikes and will avoid stealing in clear view of any form of surveillance equipment.

Tips for business owners

Finally, if you are a business owner, particularly of an establishment like a cafe, internet cafe, restaurant or bar. Consider what experience your customer will have if they are pick-pocketed within your premises? What impression will it leave about your business if you have pick-pockets actively operating on your premises? Your solution is to have an up to date CCTV system, get the optimal resolution within your budget, minimize blind spots and most of all, keep an eye on who enters your premises!

 

Hope you all enjoyed the read, please leave a comment, share a view or an experience and stay safe over the holiday period!

CCTV Cameras: Saving Small Businesses

Shoplifting and theft has been a problem for small business owners for a long time now and no matter what shop attendants and owners do, people seem to find a way to get away with stealing things like packs of gum or a whole tray full of jewelry.

Despite the precautions shop owners take in order to safeguard their property and inventory, shoplifters and thieves are still able to do what they set out to do without getting caught. It may seem tricky at first, but for professionals, stealing from small businesses is a piece of cake. One of the most common modus operandi used by thieves is to come in groups. While two or more members of the group distract the attendant or store owner, one of them is already taking items off the shelves or display cases and stuffing them in their bags or even hidden compartments in their clothes. Once they have what they want, they leave, and the attendant is none the wiser. Other criminals take a less subtle approach and use knives, guns and other weapons to rob a store or other business establishments.

How Does Theft Affect Small Businesses?

For a small convenience store, jewelry store or electronics store, every piece of inventory counts. Unlike superstores that have boxes of stock of a particular item in their warehouses, small businesses will lose a chunk of their capital and profit whenever an item is stolen from their shop. It doesn’t matter what they steal, anything missing from the shelves has a big impact on the store’s bottom line. When a store is unprotected, especially after an incident of theft, the chances of these incidents repeating increases, and soon the business would suffer a loss big enough to close it down.

Losing inventory is just one problem a small business has to deal with when incidents of theft occur. Another thing shop owners and attendants should worry about is their safety. These people put their lives at risk whenever they try to protect their premises against criminal elements with guns and knives. They not only lose valuable merchandise, they can also potentially lose their lives.

Protecting Small Businesses

Small business owners know that protecting their establishment is equal to protecting their livelihood. Many of them install security systems and other gadgets that would alert the police when a robbery is in progress, but in most cases, these aren’t enough. What small businesses need are deterrents like CCTV cameras. These cameras not only capture video that can help catch robbers and shoplifters and prove that they have indeed committed a crime; they also serve as a deterrent. Thieves will think twice about stealing something from a store that has cameras recording everyone’s movements.

Theft has always been, and will always be, the number one problem small businesses face. As long as there are stores that are left unprotected, there will always be criminal elements waiting to take advantage of the situation. This is why it is important to address this issue before it gets out of control.

CCTV Cameras for Your Home and Small Business

There was once a time when closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras were used only by big enterprises and people living in very large houses. Today, the technology used for surveillance cameras and other forms of security systems are so widespread that anyone on any budget can now install CCTV cameras and protect their homes and small businesses.

What CCTV Cameras Can Do For You

There are so many uses for CCTV cameras in your home or business. They not only protect you from dangerous elements outside, they can help you spot threats from the inside as well.

·         A CCTV camera installed in your home can:

o   Prevent incidents of break-ins and theft.

o   Serve as a baby monitor to keep track of your child when you are in another room or even away from home.

o   Serve as a “nanny-cam” to monitor your babysitter’s behavior and make sure that your children are being treated properly.

o   Help identify robbers and intruders in your home.

·         A CCTV camera installed in your place of business can:

o   Prevent break-ins, theft, and acts of vandalism on your property.

o   Monitor and record any altercation between your employees and customers.

o   Help identify thieves and other criminal elements that enter your business.

o   Help law enforcement officers catch known criminals.

Different Types of Home and Small Business CCTV Cameras

 

There are various types of CCTV cameras that are great for use in the home or in your business. Most home and small business surveillance cams are meant for indoor use, and unlike those heavy-duty cameras you see in office buildings and apartment lobbies, home CCTV cameras are portable, compact, and easy to conceal. Choosing the right camera to use for your home or business depends not just on your budget, but on your needs as well. Each camera type and model has its own features that make them worth installing. The more features there are, the more expensive they become, so make sure that you’re getting your money’s worth when you choose a camera. Here are some of the finest, most innovative CCTV models available that’s perfect for home or small business use:

·         IPS-EYE01W – This camera doesn’t require any special installation to get started. All you need to do is plug it in and start recording. The video feed is streamed over the internet through an RJ45 connector or a wireless internet connection. You can access and control the camera from a web browser or from an android device or iPhone. It also supports 2-way audio, so you can hear what’s happening at home and communicate with your family as well.

 

·         IPS-EYE02W – Just like the 01W model, this camera has all the features you need to monitor your home even from another country. With this model, however, you don’t need a separate storage device as it can support TF cards up to 32G. It is also mountable on the wall, so you won’t need to find a space on a shelf or table to mount it on.

·         IPS-EYE03W and IPS-EYE04W – The 03W model is slightly bigger than the two previous CCTV camera models, but it has almost the same specifications as the others. Aside from its size, it’s also bigger in other ways. It captures video at a higher resolution and can send email alerts when the motion detector is activated. The 04W model has all the same specifications and can support P2P.

Using just any old web cam to monitor and protect your home or small business just won’t do it anymore. To really be able to capture, record, and view your footage properly, you need a CCTV camera that has the juice to do the job, and much, much more.

Ho Ho Ho! Catch Santa in the Act!

Christmas time conjures up images of a fat and jolly man in a red suit sliding down chimneys to deliver presents to good little boys and girls. If you’re reading this, then you’re most probably old enough to know that dear ol’ Santa Claus [spoiler alert] is not real. Shocked? Maybe not, but for the sake of argument (and the sake of those who have just been devastated by the news), let’ say that jolly ol’ Saint Nick is real. How can you catch him in the act?

Keeping an Eye on Your Home for the Holidays

 In this day and age where CCTV cameras and other home surveillance gadgets are easily accessible, finding out who’s sneaking in, out, and around your house is a breeze. Here are a few easy to use gadgets and cameras you can use to catch a glimpse of what’s happening while visions of sugarplums dance in your heads as you sleep.

·         IP Home Cams – These handy plug-and-play cameras are great for indoor use. Chances are, you won’t capture Santa Claus binging on the milk and cookies you’ve laid out for him, but you can spot intruders as they fumble around your home. The IPS-EYE01W, 02W, 03W, and 04W model cameras can be controlled remotely over WIFI or IP using a computer, tablet or smartphone, so you can check on your house when you and your family are out for the Christmas holidays. These cameras also support two-way audio, so you can tell your kids to go back to bed if you catch them sneaking out of their rooms to take a peek at their presents before Christmas morning.

·         Listening and Tracking Devices – For die-hard North Pole believers, another way to prove that Santa really does exist is by installing listening devices such as the superbug in your home. This voice activated tracking and listening device allow you to monitor conversations going on in your home. For the complete home surveillance experience, the Tornado Bug is an all-in-one solution for all your home security needs. This compact surveillance device not only captures and records audio; it can also capture photos and videos which you can save on a MicroSD card. These gadgets run on a GSM network and can be controlled via SMS. They also serve as tracking devices just in case the Grinch decides to sneak into your home and steal Christmas. Just place them together with your valuables and you can connect to the device using your mobile phone and get the GPS location of the bug, along with your most prized possessions.

Kidding aside, protecting your home from intruders during the holiday season is a must. With so many people going away for the holidays, burglars and other criminal elements just can’t help themselves. Don’t let incidents like these ruin Christmas. By installing CCTV cameras and listening devices in your home, you can sleep better at night knowing that your family and belongings are protected. Hey, you may just catch Santa Claus sliding down the chimney after all.