FBI collected statistics indicate that there are about 9.3 million instances of property crime, 2.2 million burglaries, and 6.3 million larceny-thefts in the United States in a typical year. This boils down to a loss of a lot of revenue through crime. Many of these crimes occur in areas where people and money concentrate. Because of the concentration of money and goods, shopping malls and strip malls are often the places where these crimes occur.
There are many crime prevention systems employed in shopping malls. Private security officers patrol the halls during business hours, usually looking for disruptive behavior. Purchase protection programs, petty theft and shoplifting systems are common. Few anti-crime programs fully deal with after hours events.
Many retail business buy into systems that record events on the floor of their businesses. With new technology many of these systems use high-definition digital cameras that are low-light sensitive and get excellent images even in darkness. Many systems can be monitored with smart phones and other mobile equipment. This potential gives store owners the assurance that they can watch what goes on in their businesses night and day. However the systems are rarely monitored continuously. These systems can identify criminals after the fact, but may have only limited effect of preventing crime.
Real theft prevention requires fast and immediate action. That requires more than simply recording events for later reference. It requires real-time monitoring, especially in areas where theft and vandalism crimes are likely, like shopping centers, strip centers and warehouses. In a scientific test of real-time monitoring, the Urban Institute Justice Policy Center evaluated the CCTV programs in the Baltimore, Maryland area, Washington, DC. and Chicago, Illinois during implementation in 2005 and 2006. The results stated that “Analysis results indicate that cameras, when actively monitored, have a cost-beneficial impact on crime…” Over a five-month period, overall crime reduction was between 25% and 38% statistically directly attributable to the cameras .
Real-time monitoring with direct law enforcement contact on a 24/7 basis is a proven effective way of preventing crime. Stealth Monitoring can provide those services for your business. For more information, contact us.
Stealth Monitoring is a security industry leader in live video surveillance with over 9,000 video cameras watched nationwide. Stealth proactive video monitoring can detect and deter crime in cities in the U.S. and Canada while reducing security guard and other expenses. Stealth’s virtual security guard service can reduce or even replace security guards at a fraction of the cost. A remote surveillance Stealth operator can see unusual activity, activate a speaker warning to deter criminals, and call the local police.
Please call toll-free (866) 382-3873 or contact Stealth today for more information to protect your property. Visit our web site to see actual videos of criminals being apprehended at a range of commercial businesses.
