Burglar caught by German car wash manager
A German car wash operator was able to catch a burglar who broke into his facility last weekend. He handed him over to the police. The key to solving the crime? A decent video surveillance system and a pro-active team.
A self-service car wash in Kaiserslautern, Germany has already been broken into several times. For a long time, identifying and apprehending the perpetrators were a problem. This time, thanks to some security measures taken, the owner managed to catch the perpetrator in the city center.
Daylight
The break-in at this car wash took place in broad daylight on a Sunday during lunchtime. After several previous burglaries, the owner had an alarm system and video surveillance cameras installed.
“The police no longer come out when such reports are received and refer to the possibility of filing the report digitally,” the manager told our colleagues of CarwashPro.de.
After the break in, the manager checked what the burglar looked like, put a small team together and went into town. On the basis of very good camera recordings, the perpetrator could then actually be encountered in the city.
The police were alerted once more and arrested the perpetrator on the spot. “But he was out again immediately”, the manager added. “That’s just the way it is, unfortunately.” He has little hope for a refund for the damage incurred. “Those people usually don’t have any money anyway.”
Coins still accepted
Luckily, the damage was limited since he keeps limited cash in the car wash after previous break-ins. “However, the burglar damaged something that I thought could not be damaged.”
Going completely cashless is not an option in a country like Germany. Where cash is way more common than in other European countries. “It’s too much of a risk for me to go completely digital”, he says. “When the payment system fails, customers have no way to wash and I have no revenue.”
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