Meta-security, anyone?

Even as the cost of security equipment goes down, a new, and rather strange form of crime is rearing its ugly but somehow comical head.

In an effort to secure their own homes, some people have resorted to stealing security cameras, such as this Bakersfield man. Authoristill have still not made any arrests in this new “crime wave”, but say the number of thefts of security equipment is on the rise.

The question that remains for the owners of this equipment remains; what to do in order to secure theit gear? It’s an ingesting conundrum: security cameras are supposed to capture images of the criminals that operate in their vicinity, in order to provide law enforcement with images they can use in identifying the criminal, and as proof in litigation. Formerly, the problem has been that security camera images have been grainy and / or unfocused, but when these images prove useless even as the “perp” sticks his face all the way up to the lens, then what good are they?

Proving the usefulness and effect of video surveillance is hard, and some people argurather as long as there is no visible or measurable effect, there’s no way to justify the use of the technology. As a deterrent, there’s little doubt that

surveillance is useful, but this crime wave will certainly pour some fuel on the fire.

Mounting another set of cameras to monitor the cameras already there seems a little redundant, but what, exactly, should you do to make sure your security technology is as hard to steal as possible? We have a couple of suggestions.

– Use tamper resistant bolts/screws. If the would-be thief can’t get the thing off the wall, then he or she will probably go elsewhere.

– As much as possible, place cameras inside. This will make the tech less accessible, but beware of window glare, for example. Place the camera in a room that is either dark all the time, or dark at critical times for the surveillance.

– Secure the camera in a cage or enclosure. There are many, many models to choose from, and usually, your camera supplier can get you one of these as well, that will fit your model perfectly.

– Elevation. If you must place your cameras in places that are neither inside nor in a location that is fairly public, make sure you place them as high as possible. There are draw-backHewitt this method, of course, but most of them are better than having a camera disappear entirely.

– Hide your cameras if you can. Be aware that this might be in violation with local laws and regulations, so research that before you set up hidden cameras.

Safeguarding your security gear doesn’t have to be difficult, and just a few, simple steps like the ones above might help you deter thieves and hooligans. And their shenanigans.