Back in April, Farsight posed the question – Will there be a crime surge post-lockdown? Well, the CCTV alarm activations in May was anything to go by, the answer is clear…
Farsight’s CCTV operators responded to almost 100,000 more CCTV alarm activations in May than the previous month – which is staggering. This figure was over 171,000 more than the number of alarms our team responded to in May 2020 when lockdown measures began to ease after the first lockdown. This shows a massive surge in the sheer volume of alarms being raised now that criminals are free to move around as restrictions were eased.
In May, in response to triggered CCTV alarm incidents and where relevant, Farsight remote monitoring operators issued a massive 9,025 audio deterrent warnings. This number showed an increase in the number of audio warning given by 216 when compared to April this year.
Our team have been witness to several crime trends which are showing continued increase, the most notable of which is the targeting of automotive showroom forecourts by persistent thieves who are capitalising on the rising demand for catalytic converters on the black market. This increase in demand for catalytic converters has been exacerbated by the soaring value of the metals contained in small quantities inside certain catalytic converters which include platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Rhodium on its own has 4 x the value of gold.
Despite a crime prevention crackdown involving police forces across the country – ‘Catalytic Converter Theft Week of Action’ which happened in April this year, we have noticed that organised gangs have continued to up the pace and frequency of these raids on car forecourts. We have also seen an increase in the amount of damage to targeted vehicles, some being butchered in seconds with power tools to get quick access to car parts.
Concerns have been raised too about the likelihood of violence being used if thieves are challenged by staff with increasing ferocity, the risk of which is significantly reduced when incidents of this nature are visually verified by Farsight’s remote CCTV operators at monitored sites. Read: Thieves ‘will hurt’ people to get car part costly metals.
Farsight have published several articles shining a spotlight on the surge in catalytic converter theft attempts across the UK . These articles are well worth a read:
> Is Catalytic Converter Theft Spiralling out of Control?
> UK Surge in Catalytic Converter Thefts Attempts Continues…
> Surge in Car Headlight Thefts
The logistics, storage and transport sector has also seen a stark rise in security breach attempts of over the past month. In May, Farsight’s CCTV monitoring team played an instrumental role in thwarting a well organised raid on a Transport & Logistics firm based in Leicestershire, resulting in police recovering a trailer filled with cosmetics and arrests being made. Read: Cargo Theft Surges Across The UK…
Rural crime, targeting farms across the UK in particular has also seen a continued increase. Farm machinery, equipment, vehicles, fuel, GPS devices and even livestock remain firmly in the sights of opportunist thieves and organised criminal gangs – making farm security a priority to bolster security measures and prompting farmers to ask ‘Is it Time To Rethink Farm Security?’
> Read: Rural Crime Targeting Farms Continues
Again, violence is a threat that is increasingly facing farmers who challenge thieves on their premises – like this recent incident : Violence ‘totally unnecessary’ from robbery gang who kneecapped elderly farmer.
Choosing a monitored CCTV alarm solution can significantly improve farm security, and reduce the risks involved in farmers having to physically challenge intruders.
How can Farsight help optimise your security?
Effective CCTV monitoring has become a crucial element to consider when optimising businesses security to protect premises, assets and people.
So, how does remote CCTV monitoring work?
In our experience, combining CCTV monitoring with live, proactive audio warnings can be particularly effective in deterring security incidents before they progress. In fact, during 2020 Farsight CCTV alarm operators issued a mammoth 119,901 audio deterrent warnings and progressed almost 10,000 incidents to blue light services demonstrating a proactive security deterrent approach rather than a retrospective one.
As a leading UK based remote monitoring station, Farsight works with security systems installers and business sites across multiple industry sectors to help protect their premises, assets and people with our range of security monitoring services. Our services Include:
We can help to protect what’s yours from theft, fire or malicious damage… we’d love to see how we can work with you to optimise your farm security…contact us below:
