Many firms make use of CCTV as part of their efforts to minimise the risk that they will be targeted by criminals. Meanwhile, security cameras are also an effective way catch robbers and vandals after they commit their antisocial acts.
Indeed, a recent case shows how important the footage taken by CCTV devices can be. Two men admitted carrying out a number of robberies including a violent raid on a newsagents after being caught on camera, the Henley Standard reports.
Aaron Coaker and Simon Asher pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to burgle during a hearing at Reading Crown Court. The individuals were captured on camera when they attacked Smith’s News in Caversham, which is located in Berkshire and lies on the north bank of the River Thames.
Security cameras filmed the men attacking shop assistant Rirathaparam Varatharaja. The worker was sweeping the floor when the pair burst through the front entrance. He was struck over the head and then dragged into the aisle while the men forced open the till and filled a holdall with 3,500 cigarettes and £750 in cash.
Following the event, Mr Varatharaja was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and was given 14 stitches to a cut in his head.
Meanwhile, Mr Coaker and Mr Asher also committed a series of other crimes, including driving a car through the plate glass windows of a Tesco Express store and stealing bottles of spirits. Additionally, they attacked a man outside Murco station, stealing his keys and taking money and cigarettes from his pocket.
The pair remain in custody and are due to be sentenced later this month.
Over the years, CCTV has helped to catch many criminals and to help prosecutors make their cases against the individuals. It also serves to help reassure individuals and provide them with greater peace of mind.