Have you ever asked yourself what are criminals afraid of when they commit a crime? Several sociological studies and research surveys done with prisoners in the United States reveal that criminals are afraid of running into victims that are able to defend themselves or that could serve as witnesses. Worse yet if it is a video camera.
Which is why one of the best ways to fight crime is community organization.
And that’s how the Falcon Security project called “Safe Street” was born. It consists of a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week surveillance system. Neighbors have cameras connected to each other through the internet that they can watch on their cell phones.
According to the Falcon’s General Manager Pierre Crespo, the advantage of using electronic security solutions such as alarms and cameras is their low cost and long-term operation. And the monitoring is uninterrupted.
“The police is a reactionary force and us citizens are the true first line of defense for our protection and that of our families and belongings,” Crespo said.
In every one of the neighborhoods where Falcon has implemented Safe Street, neighbors assure that it has eliminated suspicious loitering and criminal activity related to it.
The manager pointed out that the government of Costa Rica has also invested in the installation of “closed circuit television cameras” (CCTV) to monitor public spaces. Nonetheless, despite some nationwide success stories, the challenge has been assigning a budget, agreeing on where to locate the cameras, resolve the technical parameters and finally repeal the resulting bureaucracy that generates a lot of public frustration over projects that never materialize despite the promises and urgency.
For more information about Safe Street, contact: [email protected]
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