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 !

[Polwart]

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!!!