$80,000 Robbed from San Francisco Area Camera Store

Camera equipment is a lucrative target for thieves, that much is certain.

Given that, you would think that there would be a bigger movement to tackle this issue.

After all, we’ve covered multiple thefts from stores and individuals on this blog and, given the sophistication of the equipment involved, it’s baffling that there aren’t more safeguards to protect people from having their gear stolen and resold on a secondary market.

But that might all change in the future – and fast – as camera retailers seemingly reach the end of their ropes.

Nowhere is this better illustrated than San Francisco which just had another massive robbery at a camera store following on the heels of a big heist down at the Leica store not too long before this current incident.

And that’s not all: We’ve brought you headlines about a news crew getting robbed, a photographer tracked to his home then robbed there, and even someone smashing out a window in a car while in traffic to steal the camera gear there.

Today’s story involves pretty much the same modus operandi as the Leica theft wherein the five robbers held up the store’s staff at gunpoint and took the gear. They then fled in a getaway car. As of press, no real details about the suspects have been released.

As we alluded at top, San Francisco seems to be a magnet for this kind of activity and tourists should be on their guard when taking pictures at popular landmarks. But San Francisco isn’t the only place in the world where this takes place which makes this a problem for the wider camera industry and one that most of us hope will have some sort of change soon.

If you have any thoughts on how camera manufacturers can incorporate antitheft technology and procedures into their products, let us know in the comments.

Check out some of our other photography news at this link.

[KRON4]