UK Police Force Use Spy Gadgets to Catch Criminals

Crime rates are a constant worry to practically everyone in the UK. The general public need only switch on the nightly news to see worrying examples of the way society’s criminals perpetrate and get away with some of the most unimaginable wrongdoing. But police forces across the country are coming up with revolutionary ways to capture criminals on film and ensure that when they break the law, they are brought to justice. Using unique and effective spy camera gadgets, forces up and down the UK can track and find criminals with higher levels of success, and can bring more substantial evidence to court if necessary.

Staffordshire Police have, in recent months, fitted out their canine unit with a lightweight digital camera, fitted to their heads with a harness, which will help officers to locate offenders more quickly and easily. Police dogs are renowned for their incredible tracking skills, and the dogs are now being sent on ahead of officers to trace criminals, with the digital cameras, also known as ‘FidoCam’, relaying their line of vision to a screen within a patrol car. Officers can then more accurately carry out their job in catching and arresting a potential criminal. The cameras have infrared settings for use at night, and relay the images back to the squad car via a digital receiver. Images can be saved within the device and also used as evidence within any
court cases which may arise as the result of arrests.

Police in Southport have also been using a unique gadget to help them in their fight against crime. Thermal imaging cameras are ideal for use in rural areas, where there is a lack of street lighting and an abundance of bushes or undergrowth to hide in. The cameras detect heat rather than light, and are often used from helicopters when tracking suspects who have attempted to run, but using funds from the Proceeds of Crime Act, Southport Police have been able to invest in a handheld thermal imaging camera which has already resulted in multiple arrests. 

Of course, it is not just the police who can make use of spy gadgets to ensure criminals are brought to justice. A couple from Cambridge recently installed their own system of CCTV cameras after their home was burgled five times. Within a month of the installation, their home was targeted for the sixth time, and the pictures they captured with their CCTV spy cameras have been released to the public, urging anyone who recognises the burglars to come forward. With the full backing of the police, the couple have utilised this readily available technology to crack down on crime in their own way and make their home environment a more secure place.