Can you protect your assets with a hidden camera?

Perhaps you’ve seen the videos earlier this year showing how a nanny abused her charge. In the video, the nanny is seen hitting the toddler, and throwing him around. This is probably a big concern shared by parents who have to leave their kids with supposedly trustworthy individuals while they went out to make a living.

Or how about reports in the evening news about burglars making off with gadgets, jewelry or money, only to be caught later on because they were caught on surveillance video? It’s not only banks and retail shops that have hidden cameras these days. Even homes and offices usually have cameras hidden out of plain sight, sometimes motion-activated, and sometimes catching sight of the strangest of events.

A hidden camera can come in quite handy when you need to protect your interests. Whether these are vaults containing money, office equipment, or even people (such as your kids), having surveillance video can help detect potential problems, and even prevent these before they happen.

Last year, the quietness of our neighborhood was stirred with a few petty thefts. While the losses were small, the very idea of strangers coming into our fences and taking stuff was very jarring. We thought those small thefts might be precedents to more serious incidents in the future. I considered upgrading my car alarm, and installing a spy camera that can let me record surveillance video or even access these remotely through the Internet.

I haven’t come around to upgrading my security-related gadgets yet, but my family and I have been more vigilant in making sure we sleep more soundly by double-checking the door locks and car locks at night. We also bring in anything that might be of interest to thieves, no matter how small. Security, after all, is as much about attitude as it is about the tools and gadgets.

These days, when I visit a retail store, mall, bank, or any establishment, I try to figure out where their surveillance cameras are installed or hidden. I know I’ll never be as good as Jason Bourne in staking out the stakeout, but I do satisfy my fascination with gadgets and how people use these gadgets to watch other people from behind the safety of invisibility.