Fighting the complex problems of anti-social behaviour challenges district and borough councils the length and breadth of the country.
While the term in itself covers a multitude of different problems there is a range of pro-active techniques that can be implemented to tackle many issues that if left unchallenged cost councils and therefore taxpayers' unnecessary money. VIT is a specialist security solutions provider and innovator of bespoke security solutions who have an excellent record of success with providing high quality video evidence that has led to successful prosecutions in court.
One recent case involved a group of youths who were consistently damaging council property. Broxbourne Council's community safety team received reports of youths causing antisocial behaviour and the stoning of passing vehicles, particularly buses, in the local area.
The throwing of the stones had resulted in a number of bus windows being smashed, which could have resulted in the driver losing control of the vehicle, or a passenger being injured by flying glass. As a result, the bus service on that route was withdrawn.
The police increased uniformed presence in the area and also carried out plain-clothes operations, but this did not resolve the problem. VIT was chosen to supply covert CCTV equipment to monitor the situation and gather evidence.
The local authority contacted VIT who provided surveillance cameras that were so well disguised that even from a distance of 6 inches, looking directly into the lens the youths were unaware that they were being filmed. VIT further deferred suspicion by placing a more obvious camera close to the site of the disguised camera to attract the youth's attention. The ploy worked successfully as the youths ignored the hidden camera and set about tearing the dummy ploy camera off the wall and attempting to destroy it. Other methods were used by VIT to delay the process of destruction of the fake box to allow plenty of evidential video to be obtained.
The system chosen was adaptable to a number of different situations, particularly as the attacks took place mostly under the cover of darkness, and the clarity of images secured assisted the police in the identification and arrest of the six offenders concerned. As a result, there have been no more stoning incidents in the area.
Because of the high quality ultra low light cameras used by VIT, obtaining evidential quality footage day or night is assured. The boys in this particular case were arrested and charged with causing damage to council property including the dummy camera and successfully prosecuted.
