Why Watch Your Site?
In 2007, having started out with our very first unit development project, Aleli and I were overwhelmed with pride when Sam, our contracted builder finally handed over the keys. Reflecting on how well the project had gone, we remembered an old house built in the 60’s steadily transforming into 3 brand new, modern, energy efficient, town houses. We were so proud of Sam's work that it was almost like the birth of a child (or 3), and we insisted he have a cigar to celebrate!
A few days later it was Christmas and we were off celebrating with family, we returned Boxing Day evening to find one of our 'babies' had a broken window. On closer inspection we found the place had been both robbed and vandalised. Everything the intruders could take, they did, including quality taps and bathroom fittings. They even tried to remove the oven & hot plates! (without success). Many things that could not be stolen were damaged beyond repair and we were left with a terrible mess! We were so angry.
Naturally our first call was to the Police, who attended the scene, but the thieves had left little evidence so the officers were unable to identify them. Even the fingerprints taken were useless, as it turned out, they were only glove prints. It was believed the intruders knew what they were doing and had most likely done this before. Our only witness was a neighbour who told us they noticed some people in a ute working at the site for about half an hour. They had assumed that it was more tradies doing some work and thought little of it. Frustrated, I asked the Senior Constable how common this problem was. She told us it’s a common occurrence in all areas and unless the perpetrators are caught in the act or there are photos or footage of the crime, the Police are virtually powerless. This annoyed us, but with an attitude of “well, part of the cost of doing business”, we moved on.
Within weeks, a second unit on the same development site was broken into! This time the front door was kicked off its hinges leaving extensive damage to it and the deadlock. Fortunately, this time the purchasers had installed an alarm system which scared off the would-be thieves, but only after they had done hundreds of dollars worth of damage. The attempted break-in couldn't have come at a worse time for us as the other two units were still on the market and were open for inspection starting that week! We had to work hard to make sure everything was repaired as fast as possible.
By that stage, we were well and truly fed up. We had spent so much time and money repairing the damage and thought there had to be a better way. We wanted to catch the people responsible for these thefts and acts of vandalism, so we asked our builder if there was anything available to builders and developers to combat this problem. His reply was basically “nothing”.
Some of the things he has known builders resorting to include -
· Security guard
· Security patrols
· Guard dog
· Fake camera
· Even sleeping on the building site!
All of these alternatives have their own advantages and disadvantages but our aim was to catch those *#*. I began thinking about my previous work for Victoria Police in the Technical Surveillance Unit and started to develop a surveillance prototype. After several months of research and development using the latest technology and the best professional equipment available, I created a system that takes video of people at our construction sites 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and with enough detail in the picture that would help the Police when there is another break in. However this was only part of the job.
The other main feature we wanted was to be able to watch over our sites without physically having to be there. That way we could log on the internet using a PDA or computer, anytime we wanted, anywhere we were. This proved to be extremely challenging as there is no such system available, so we had to design it from scratch. This is the feature that makes watchyoursite.com.au so unique.
Now we know that if and when it happens again, we will be able to give the authorities a picture of the thieves and vandals, which is high resolution, time coded and “Fingerprinted” so it not only massively increases the chance of the Police being able to identify them, but eventually helping to prosecute them in court. We are also able to monitor the site so any suspicious activity can be reported immediately. This could mean the perpetrators are caught in the act BEFORE much of the damage is done!
We showed our security system to Sam, our builder and he was so impressed with it, he asked if we could immediately install it on one of his multi-unit development projects. Of course, we were very happy to oblige. Hence Watch Your Site, camera surveillance system was born!
A few months later, after more testing and system refinements and a couple more systems installed on his other building sites, we now have a Watch Your Site camera surveillance system he loves. Not only does the system keep a recording of what's happening on his building site 24 hours a day, allowing a more peaceful sleep at night, he can also keep an eye on what is going on from his mobile phone, as well as his computer at home! Now, that’s convenience! He has also used the system to check on deliveries and to see who is working on site. To see more recent projects click here.
At last, a solution to theft and vandalism on your building site. It is so easy to use and so effective!
If you would like to know more please CALL Mark on 0427 00 25 75 NOW and ask how you can Watch over Your building Site anywhere anytime!
