North Bay Police are giving credit to a home security camera for catching a thief prowling around local neighbourhoods.
A 50-year-old North Bay man now faces charges related to incidents that occurred on Sunday, April 18.
At approximately 6 that morning, police responded to reports of an unknown man trespassing on private property and trying to open the locked doors of a car.
Police responded, reviewed Closed Circuit Television footage of the event, and identified the man involved.
"Subsequently, CCTV footage of the incident was shared on a local social media group," said David Woolley, Communications Officer. "Sharing this footage led to the identification of a second victim. The second victim posted CCTV footage from the same night of the same individual trespassing on their property and attempting to open the locked doors of their car."
Police contacted the second victim to gather further information.
A third victim then contacted the NBPS with CCTV footage from the same night that showed a man trespassing on their property and trying to open the locked doors of their car.
A 50-year-old man from North Bay, who police have not named, was arrested and charged with:
- Three counts of trespass by night
- Three counts of attempted theft
With trespass by night, anyone who, without lawful excuse, loiters or prowls at night on the property of another person near a dwelling-house situated on that property is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
The penalty is a fine of not more than $5,000 or to a term of imprisonment of not more than two years less a day, or to both.
"The use of home security cameras ensures that, when a crime is committed, there is video evidence of the crime and of the accused," added Wooley. "This footage is indispensable to police investigations. If you have footage of a potential crime, contact the police to report it."
Poli e are asking those who have home security cameras to join the Security Camera Resource and Mapping (SCRAM) initiative. Participants of SCRAM provide their contact information to police as well as the location of their security cameras. If the police believe your cameras may have captured evidence of a crime, NBPS officers will contact you and request to review your security camera footage.
SCRAM is completely voluntary. Individuals who sign up can refuse to show police security footage and withdraw from the program at any time. At no point are police given access to or control over your security cameras.
If you have a photo or video surveillance system at your residence and wish to join SCRAM, email your information to [email protected]
Police will require the following information:
- Name
- Address
- Contact phone number(s)
- Contact e-mail address
- External camera view (what street or roadway can be seen by your camera?)
- Camera type
- Footage retrieval requirements (do we need a disc, thumb drive, etc. to receive a copy of your footage?)
If you suspect criminal activity or observe a crime in progress, you can contact the North Bay Police Service by dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency.
For those who wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Near North Crime Stoppers, by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by submitting a tip online at www.nearnorthcrimestoppers.com.
