Southend Police use Innovative CCTV

Essex Police uses innovative mobile technology in apprehending violent robbers within minutes.

10:16 18 January 2019

David Osborne, a construction worker from Southend, had been out celebrating after winning £1,300 at the bookies when he was attacked by three men at Seaways car park. 

 

Police officers in Southend, who were using a live feed of council CCTV footage on their mobile phones, arrive at the scene while the robbery was still in progress and the three men were detained within minutes. 

 

David said: "I don't know what they hit me with. It might have been a punch but I just remember going all dizzy.

 

"It was scary - your worst nightmare. I thought I was going to die - there was three of them and I didn't know what was going to happen.

 

"While one of them was pinning me down, another was going through my pockets. I'm trying to fight them off but it was just overpowering. There was nothing I could do."

 

He added: "Thank god they have that technology because I probably wouldn't be here now. Watching it - it's horrible and absolutely shocking. I didn't stand a chance."

 

Det Ch Insp Neil Pudney, Southend's District Commander, said: "The introduction of this technology has changed things completely for the officers because they are now able to access information live while they are out on patrol.

 

"It really was a skilled, trained eye - the officers saw something might be going on and it was a bit of a sixth sense.

 

"We were able to get there within seconds and actually solve a crime we might not have been able to solve a few years ago so a real game-changer in terms of policing."