Now, that’s a smart move..
“Elderly woman’s bag snatched in Clementi, thief caught in just 2 hours thanks to police cameras,” a daring incident occurred when a man brazenly snatched the bag of an elderly woman in broad daylight in 2022. The thief was swiftly tracked by police cameras in real-time as he fled the scene after committing the act.
According to the Singapore Police Force, “PolCams had recorded the incident in real-time, including footage of him fleeing the scene.” The incident was reported on 22nd October 2022 at around 8.40 am near Clementi Avenue 2.
The Police Operations Command Centre utilized PolCams’ sense-making capabilities to locate the culprit. “They first spotted the man following the elderly woman before the crime,” and “had footage of the suspect fleeing the scene after snatching her bag.” Using multiple PolCams in the area, the command center monitored the man’s movements in real-time and coordinated with officers on the ground to eventually apprehend him.
“Thanks to footage from the PolCams,” the suspect was captured just two hours after the initial report. The stolen items were not on his person upon arrest, but further footage revealed that he had discarded the bag and some items he considered insignificant. The victim’s mobile phone, which the suspect intended to sell, was retrieved in the process.
In February 2023, the perpetrator was found guilty of snatch theft and sentenced to five years in prison and two strokes of the cane. The use of police cameras not only led to the swift arrest of the bag snatcher but also helped resolve more than 7,500 crime cases to date.
The Singapore Police Force has installed over 90,000 PolCams in various public areas since 2012. According to the SPF, “the PolCams have proven to be worth their while, helping to solve more than 7,500 crime cases to date.” The presence of PolCams has also significantly decreased various crimes in HDB estates over the years.
As stated by the SPF, “PolCams are expected to become even more effective, with their sense-making technology continuously refined to enable quicker identification of leads from footage.” The success stories of using police cameras to combat crime underscores the crucial role technology plays in enhancing law enforcement efforts.
