Traps for people who pinch security cameras

[Matty F]

After publicity about a number of vandals and taggers caught because of hidden CCTV cameras that I have installed in the neighbourhood, I decided to put up a rather obvious CCTV camera (fake) complete with flashing red light. Someone recently went to a lot of trouble to pinch the fake camera. The theft and their car was recorded on three of the real cameras. Not quite good enough to identify them but I'm working on a new camera that should capture rego numbers. I don't want them to pinch or damage the real cameras.

I'd like to put up another fake camera. Does anyone have bright ideas on something amusing to put on the camera to give them a big fright when they try to pinch it? A loud alarm perhaps. Some compound that gets on their hands and can't be washed off for weeks? etc etc?

[Tim S]

Matty F coughed up some electrons that declared:

Fill it with cockroaches.

[Matty F]

That won't stop them. There are already cockroaches that crawl over the other cameras and get in the way of the lens. Damn things, I spray them and then have to clean the lens.

[John]

I am disappointed that so many real cameras give such poor quality images or they are positioned poorly that renders them almost useless. Eg. In banks why not have them at face level.

[The Medway Handyman]

Smartwater?

[ARWadsworth]

10kV?

Adam

[Matty F]

The fake cameras are cheap. If I get the rego number and videos of their crimes that will be enough to convict them. I'd like to scare them a lot. I'm thinking of a loud alarm plus a number of devices like rat traps. Purely to catch rats of course Your Honour!

[Matty F]

It has to be legal. "Man traps" are not legal. But it's not my fault if something breaks when they stand on it.

[Dave Liquorice]

"Anti climb" paint, 'orrible stuff. Or something cheaper, henna hair dye that is release from inside the camera and leaks out when it is disturbed/removed.

Smart water is detectable but doesn't mark the person, or their clothes, visibly which I guess is the what the OP really wants. I can't think of something like henna but is bright green say.

[Mike Harrison]

Filll with indelible skin-dying ink which spills out of holes in the side when it's moved.

[ARWadsworth]

You will have to try anti vandal paint then.

Adam

[Graeme]

In message , Mike Harrison writes

A bottle of black Quink? Cheap and cheerful.

[Matty F]

Yes there is no excuse for poor pictures in a well-lighted area and without fast motion. My problem is that the area is very dark. Many infrared cameras have lots of bright red LEDs that anyone can see. I have some small cameras that have invisible infrared LEDs. Why can't all cameras have invisible LEDs? Other problems are that the cars are usually moving at speed, and the rego number is therefore blurred. The headlights and tail-lights are also too bright and wash out the picture. What I need is an invisible LED strobe that runs all night. I can't find any so I suppose I'll have to make it.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Matty F saying something like:

How is NZ for poisonous spiders?

[Fredxx]

The trouble with paints and inks is that the solvent is designed to evaporate. What the OP needs to do is replace or add a solvent which by nature is fluid but stable and non volatile. Perhaps a heavy fractionate of oil with some serious quantity of staining pigment. A open tin or bottle would do the trick once it's moved and has toppled within the camera housing. And then slowly oozes out of the housing?

It is sad that security systems are assembled with low quality cameras, and low quality recording systems.

[nightjar]

Professional systems use IR floodlights.

Colin Bignell

[Owain]

Best thing for car number plates if you have control of the road is a speed bump camera

[Andrew Gabriel]

If you're looking up the price, make sure you're sitting down...

[Fredxx]

You can get relatively cheap LED bulbs like this £15 + VAT + postage, so shouldn't break the bank. Even has it's own photocell to turn it on at night!

[TheOldFellow]

Put a tarantula (hungry) in it.