Holidaymaker Nabs Burglars

A businessman on holiday in Spain was able to alert police of a raid on his home in the UK because he’d invested in an expensive net-connected digital CCTV system. Engineering boss John Ellison, 52, watched the attack on his Lancaster home unfold on a laptop PC he’d taken on holiday with him to Malaga, Spain.

He was automatically notified (via an SMS message) that something was amiss by the £20,000 security system, which features 16 CCTV cameras, after the burglars bludgeoned their way through a conservatory door triggering installed PIR devices when they attempted to enter his £600,000 home.

Mr Ellison reacted quickly, and had his fears confirmed as he remotely logged on to his CCTV monitoring system. He watched the raid in mounting anger for the next 40 minutes until police, notified by Mr Ellison that a raid was in progress, nabbed two of three burglars.

One of the burglars was caught wearing a Bart Simpson mask and cowering in Mr Ellison’s bathroom. Mr Ellison has estimated that the burglars have cost around £12,000 in damage to his property.

"They were armed with bags full of crow bars and other tools. I was livid. I could see them smashing doors and various other things," he said. "But it was wonderful to see them being marched out and their masks being pulled off. The CCTV security system is expensive but worth every penny. The police seemed impressed as I directed the operations from Spain."

The two men caught by police raiding Mr Ellison’s home have pleaded guilty to burglary and are due to be sentenced in November. Police are still searching for the third man involved in the raid.

By installing a remotely monitored digital CCTV system, you are able to see what’s going on at your property from virtually anywhere in the World. If you are interested in installing a CCTV security system, such as the one that Mr Ellison installed, then why not contact a member of our sales team, who would be happy to guide you in the right direction.