Security camera nemesis of HCM City criminals

Initial observations have proven that the security situation in neighborhoods where surveillance cameras have been installed has dramatically improved, said Colonel Nguyen Sy Quang, chief of staff at the municipal Department of Police.

Statistics analyzed by officers in the city indicate the effectiveness of the cameras installed in the fight against crime, according to Col. Quang.

One police official in District 1 highlighted the positive results brought about by the devices, saying that they have been very helpful in deterring crimes as well as assisting police probes into certain violations.

The cameras prevent criminals from engaging in illegal activities given that they are afraid of being recorded, the officer said.

A group of criminals fake a traffic accident to distract and steal from a victim in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, as seen in this photo provided by a camera installed by a local citizen

“Offenders understand that and tend to stay away from areas safeguarded by the use of security cameras,” he continued.

It is advisable that citizens have professional technicians install surveillance cameras in order to maximize their efficiency, according to the police official.

Criminals’ identity revealed

Several criminal cases have been solved by police officers thanks to the evidence provided by security cameras in Ho Chi Minh City.

Earlier this year, one case, in which a motorcycle was stolen from an alley on Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1, video footage recorded by cameras installed in front of several residences in the alley assisted police in identifying the suspects, who were two young men, as well as providing warnings for other people living in the area.

The offenders were arrested three days later after they were spotted by locals returing to the alley and attempting to repeat their crime.

Officers conducted a search of the suspects’ house, confiscating several pieces of evidence and returned the stolen motorbike to its rightful owner.

In another case in early 2016, police in the southern city used evidence obtained via security cameras to detain a group of criminals who faked a traffic accident to distract and steal belongings from a victim on Ban Co Street, District 3.

Video footage of the incident revealed that the victim was aware of the crime as he struggled with one of the offenders, which resulted in him being pulled along by the suspects' vehicle for a long distance, before losing his grip, allowing them to escape.

After the footage was uploaded on social media sites and local online newspapers, the group was arrested a day later by officers.

On April 7, investigators in Go Vap District confirmed that Vu Dang Ruc, 42, and Bui Van Truong, 30, were being held in custody for theft.

Ruc and Truong stole the motorcycle of Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc after she left her vehicle in front of a local school to walk her son inside on January 14.

Surveillance cameras installed at the school captured the two suspects, enabling police to apprehend them.

Camera system to be perfected

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have formulated a plan to cover the locality with a network of cameras, which will serve the city in controlling traffic flow, ensuring traffic safety and social order, and combating crimes, said Col. Quang.

In the first phase of the plan, the city’s police will connect their database to public cameras as well as those installed by citizens.

In phase two, the municipal People’s Committee will order the Department of Transport to establish a network of surveillance cameras including every alley in the city, which will be funded by the private sector.