Push for good quality CCTV

[philr]

A high quality digital photograph of vehicles entering and leaving a site are by far the most effective means of deterring theft and catching the criminals. You need a good image of the vehicle (and driver if possible) but most importantly of the car index plate.

With this information the police can easily look up the owner and if stolen or the plate cloned they can easily place it on the national Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. The next time that vehicle passes a checkpoint it is likely to be chased down and stopped.

Most video installation are poorly specified and set up. The output does nothing more than infuriate the victim. If you look through earlier threads you will see an example where the criminal has ensured that his front index is concealed by a tow rope on the way in and by the stolen rib on the way out, but had previously made an aborted run where his rear plate could be seen. Didn't matter because you could not read a single character!

If you use a yard or marina, especially if you are paying them a lot of money, ask to see the security video screen. If it is useless, write in and complain. In many cases a simple adjustment or even a clean of the housing will cure the problem at no cost.

[Biggles]

Unless he's cloned the plate !

[Poly]

Originally Posted by philr

A high quality digital photograph of vehicles entering and leaving a site are by far the most effective means of deterring theft and catching the criminals. You need a good image of the vehicle (and driver if possible) but most importantly of the car index plate.

With this information the police can easily look up the owner and if stolen or the plate cloned they can easily place it on the national Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. The next time that vehicle passes a checkpoint it is likely to be chased down and stopped.

Most video installation are poorly specified and set up. The output does nothing more than infuriate the victim. If you look through earlier threads you will see an example where the criminal has ensured that his front index is concealed by a tow rope on the way in and by the stolen rib on the way out, but had previously made an aborted run where his rear plate could be seen. Didn't matter because you could not read a single character!

If you use a yard or marina, especially if you are paying them a lot of money, ask to see the security video screen. If it is useless, write in and complain. In many cases a simple adjustment or even a clean of the housing will cure the problem at no cost.

you wouldn't happen to sell CCTV systems would you?

[philr]

Originally Posted by Biggles

Unless he's cloned the plate !

If the plate is cloned then as soon as the police contact the registered owner it will be obvious. The plate will be put on the hit list for the national ANPR system.

The police set up traps around the country. They look like a police speed camera van with a couple of police motorcycles either on station or a short way down the road. They read passing plates against the hit lists in real time and it alerst them if one is on the hit list and what for. In this case it would come up with susp[ected theft and the cloned plate which is also a crime. The car gets chased down and if it is the registered owner the police apologize, if its not then someone is n for a bad day.

If it was cloned and used for theft then the crook would probably only use the plate when he was going theiving. Very easy then for insurers to post pictures and the index to marinas once again improving the chances of him getting nicked.

[philr]

Originally Posted by Polwart

you wouldn't happen to sell CCTV systems would you?

Nope

Neither I nor my company sells CCTV. I am a security consultant though

[codprawn]

Mate of mine owns a few petrol stations(no cheap fuel) and they are always having drive offs. The CCTV cameras are useless - the plates always come back as stolen or false. The police just don't want to know. One bloke living next to the petrol station had his plates taken off his car on the drive before they did a drive off.

often they just alter the plates with black tape - easy to peel off afterwards!!!

[Simon B]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Mate of mine owns a few petrol stations(no cheap fuel) and they are always having drive offs. The CCTV cameras are useless - the plates always come back as stolen or false. The police just don't want to know. One bloke living next to the petrol station had his plates taken off his car on the drive before they did a drive off.

often they just alter the plates with black tape - easy to peel off afterwards!!!

Presumably this will work with speed cameras, especially if the mofified plate is a like vehicle.

[Biggles]

Originally Posted by philr

If the plate is cloned then as soon as the police contact the registered owner it will be obvious. The plate will be put on the hit list for the national ANPR system.

Do it quickly just for the job and its a get out of jail free card.

As for ANPR it doesn't seem to have made much of a dent in the 2 million untaxed. uninsured cars on our roads. I wish it did though might bring down a few running costs. I would much rather the Police aggresively use ANPR than speed cameras.

[Biggles]

Originally Posted by philr

If it was cloned and used for theft then the crook would probably only use the plate when he was going theiving. Very easy then for insurers to post pictures and the index to marinas once again improving the chances of him getting nicked.

For this to happen you've actually got to have people that look out for this sort of thing. Doesn't seem to happen nowadays unfortuneatly.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Simon B

Presumably this will work with speed cameras, especially if the mofified plate is a like vehicle.

Of course - and the congestion charge in London. As there are now so few Police on the roads due to over reliance on cameras you have very little chance of getting caught!!!

[prairie tuber]

Why not simply hire an 82 year old former Miss America with a snub nose .38?

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55309

[Biggles]

Originally Posted by Simon B

Presumably this will work with speed cameras, especially if the mofified plate is a like vehicle.

Theres lots of ways to beat the cameras. Unfortunately all illegal and not any I would consider doing. But for those that don't care its a whole different ball game.

[philr]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Of course - and the congestion charge in London. As there are now so few Police on the roads due to over reliance on cameras you have very little chance of getting caught!!!

I agree with the various comments about lack of police and if you saw my licence you would know I am no fan of speed cameras. The ANPR stuff has been in its infancy for a few years. The technology is now very good but the supporting systems are still catching up.

There will always be crime and people will always get away with it. But the more real controls the better and this is a good one. It is not just theft either. A van driver scraped down the side of my wife's car in her company carpark and needless to say did not leave a note. All caught on CCTV but once again you could not read the number.

Remember that stealing a boat is one offence under the Theft Act but as soon as you clone a plate (if there is photo evidence to prove you did) you are now looking at another offence of Attempting to Pervert the Course of Justice which carries a potential prison sentence as well. If the villian then roles over on who made the plates they are Conspiring to Pervert the Course of Justice (also prison).

[Noble Marine]

Unfortunately we do hear of boats being stolen while are theoretically being watched by CCTV. Only when the tapes are reviewed is it found that, for one reason or another, no useful images can be seen. It’s true that this only infuriates the victims further.

As had already been mentioned, this problem is not unique to boats. Our high streets, banks, jewellers, petrol stations are all full of CCTV and yet it seems that whenever I watch Crimewatch the pictures I see of the bad guys are of such low quality their mothers would struggle to recognise them.

If high-tech institutions such as banks can’t get it right, what hope do we have for marinas and boat yards.

That said, it wouldn’t hurt to ask to see the quality of the images stored by the marina, or ask them to set up a regular review procedure to make sure the equipment works as it should and is pointing in a useful direction. You pay your marina fees for the services offered, and would soon complain if the toilets were not working. We usually don't get to find out if the CCTV is working until it’s too late.

Jon

[floater]

Originally Posted by Noble Marine

Unfortunately we do hear of boats being stolen while are theoretically being watched by CCTV. Only when the tapes are reviewed is it found that, for one reason or another, no useful images can be seen. It’s true that this only infuriates the victims further.

As had already been mentioned, this problem is not unique to boats. Our high streets, banks, jewellers, petrol stations are all full of CCTV and yet it seems that whenever I watch Crimewatch the pictures I see of the bad guys are of such low quality their mothers would struggle to recognise them.

If high-tech institutions such as banks can’t get it right, what hope do we have for marinas and boat yards.

That said, it wouldn’t hurt to ask to see the quality of the images stored by the marina, or ask them to set up a regular review procedure to make sure the equipment works as it should and is pointing in a useful direction. You pay your marina fees for the services offered, and would soon complain if the toilets were not working. We usually don't get to find out if the CCTV is working until it’s too late.

Jon

Very few systems in the market place realiy on VCRs these days as you can not buy an industrial timelapse VCR due to WEEE and Rohs regulations that came into place last year

Digital systems or DVR's are cheap and reliable these days even for one that can email you on an alarm/Motion detection etc and allow remote access via the internet

the overall quality that is now being achived is far better than it was a few years ago

and its easier to use etc

go for nice "overt Housing" dont try and hide the fact you have CCTV


And yes I do sell CCTV and have been doing so for over 20 years

man and boy as they say

regards Andy