A robbery at a wristwatch shop in the Old Town of Riga has not suggested that there is an increase in overall crime in the country, but it does beg the question of security mechanisms at shops which vend exclusive goods. This was told to LETA by Artis Velss, director of the Security Functions Department of the G4S Latvija security company. Mr Velss is also a former chief of the National Police.
The expert says that the vast operation aimed at catching the criminals and the videos that were taken at the scene of the crime and then were circulated publicly, created enough resonance to suggest that there is a true increase in crime in some areas of the economy. Armed robberies of retail outlets, however, are very rare, Velss says, and they were more common from the 1990s to the turn of the century.
The search operation caused inconveniences to some people in Riga who found it harder to reach their destination, but Velss acknowledges that his former colleagues did their job properly, given that the crime was committed by an armed group in broad daylight and in the city centre.
Velss says that he dos not have detailed information about the facts of the crime, but he agreed with an opinion that was offered by Raimonds Kronbergs, chief of the Criminal Police Department of the Riga Regional Department of the National Police – that the watch shop was perhaps attacked by an organised and mobile group which commits such crimes on other occasions, as well.
Asked about security at shops which sell expensive goods, Velss said that businesspeople seem to rely on the fact that crime is on the decline in Latvia, so they see no reason to invest in additional security.
“There is no doubt that crime is decreasing in Latvia, and police statistics make that clear,” Velss says. “As this week’s case shows, however, that does not mean that crimes of this type do not happen here.”
The former police chief also notes that security companies all around the world offer a wide range of security measured, and it is technology-based solutions which are now in demand. An armed guard at a shop is a sufficiently effective means for preventing a potential crime, but that will not be the answer in every situation.
Video analysis is part of the modern world of security solutions, and AI-based tech can allow security systems to be triggered in a timely manner. They can lock the door of a shop before criminals leave the scene or blow a gaseous substance into the room in case of theft, thus complicating the plans of the thieves, Velss says.
Source: BNS
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