Live smash and grab surveillance is an increasingly important part of shopping center security today. Houston, Texas experienced a string of smash and grab robberies. Many of the commercial properties hit in the crime spree had security cameras. But nobody was watching them. So the police weren’t called while the burglaries were happening. The authorities never had a chance to stop the thieves … until the criminals struck a shopping center with a video surveillance system that was a client of Stealth Monitoring.
The group of criminals used and damaged a stolen truck for the attempted burglary. A Stealth operator with smash and grab surveillance saw the suspicious behavior and called Houston police. Several shopping center businesses were impacted during the crime, including an electronics store and a restaurant.
Houston Police arrived at the shopping center and set up a perimeter. The criminals tried to flee. The Houston Police Department lieutenant said they saw the suspects run out of the restaurant. The smash and grab criminals were arrested. The police found a power saw at the crime scene and said that the suspects were using the saw to grind into a safe.
Local authorities are trying to determine if these suspects were the same ones responsible for previous similar Houston crimes. These retail locations had smash and grab surveillance. But there weren’t monitored live.
In these earlier crimes a shopping center security system camera recorded a smash and grab attempt at a Houston area convenience store. This was the third smash and grab robbery in 24 hours. Several stolen trucks were used. One of the stolen trucks rammed into the commercial property late at night. The suspects did not steal anything.
Another smash and grab robbery happened five miles away. This commercial property was located only a block away from the Houston Police Department’s Kingwood substation. The smash and grab surveillance security video showed a pickup truck backing into a door. The truck initially backed out slowly and then the suspect accelerated. As a result, the glass doors were completely smashed. The Houston Police Department said that the suspects fled the scene quickly.
The suspects had another a smash and grab robbery attempt an hour and a half later. The stolen truck was found wedged in tightly inside the commercial property. Nothing was stolen from this store either.
Stealth Monitoring is a security industry leader in live smash and grab surveillance with over 20,000 video cameras watched nationwide. Stealth proactive video monitoring can detect and deter crime in Houston, Texas and other cities in the U.S. and Canada while reducing security guard and other expenses. Stealth live monitoring can reduce or even replace security guards at a fraction of the cost. A remote surveillance Stealth operator can see unusual activity like retail break-ins and burglaries, activate a speaker warning to deter smash and grab thieves, and call the local police.
Please call toll-free (866) 382-3873 or contact Stealth today for more information to protect your shopping center. Visit our web site to see actual videos of criminals being apprehended at retail and commercial properties.
