Last month, we warned of the potential increased crime risk over Christmas, with figures showing around one-in-four Fasight-monitored sites had experienced some sort of incident over the previous festive season.
As we know, intruders and criminals don’t take a break for the holidays – quite the opposite. Crime doesn’t stop for Christmas. But neither do the hard working operatives at Farsight HQ. And, it was thanks to Farsight’s ever-watchful eye that we were able to spot and apprehend a suspected car vandal, up to no good on Boxing Day, while everyone else was enjoying their Christmas leftovers.
The incident
Between 18.00-19.00 on 26 December, the Farsight team honed in on a suspicious individual at a dealership forecourt in Evesham, Worcestershire.
Watching the person walk around and duck down between the cars on the forecourt, it was obvious to the well-trained eye of a Farsight operator that this person was up to no good. Having dealt with many other car forecourt alarms that day showing genuine customers pursuing stock, this person’s behaviour was definitely suspicious and it was time to swing into action.
Our first line of defence to prevent further damage to a site is a well-worded live audio announcement, which the operator duly gave. However, undeterred, the suspicious person carried on.
The Farsight operator then called the police and informed the site’s keyholders of the situation, keeping them informed every step of the way while the police hurried to the site.
The result
Farsight promptly received a call at 19.15 – just 15 minutes after our team spotted and then warned off the suspicious visitor – stating that a number of cars on the site had been vandalised and one person had been arrested in connection with the incident.
What our partners say
With expensive stock constantly on display and in the open, car dealerships are a prime target for criminals, even more so with no staff to watch over the area during breaks and bank holidays.
In these cases, there can be no compromises on security. Guaranteed, remote vigilance is a must, which is why security experts choose Farsight.
Our trusted industry parters at Secure One were responsible for the arrangements at the forecourt in Evesham, and the team there were impressed, but not surprised, by Farsight’s actions on Boxing Day.
Mark Dunkley, project manager at Secure One, said: “We’ve been working with Farsight for more than 20 years and have a good working relationship with the company, working closely with them to provide a quality service to our clients.
“We know Farsight staff spend time reviewing the footage when they receive an alarm activation, and that we are getting the thorough service we expect from them.
“It’s this level of service that in this incident at a car dealership in Evesham, ensured the suspected vandal was spotted and then apprehended by the police.”
