RANKIN INLET - The owners of the Sugar Rush Cafe in Rankin Inlet are hoping to help the community capture criminals in the act with their latest business venture.

Bryan Fotheringham watches a transaction being made at the Sugar Rush Cafe in Rankin Inlet with his new digital video management system this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

Tara Tootoo-Fotheringham and her husband, Bryan Fotheringham, have entered the world of video-surveillance systems.

The new system has already helped the Fotheringhams identify those responsible for recent vandalism and stealing of tips at the Sugar Rush Cafe.

Tara says businesses need to know this system works and, once installed, sends the message that you're watching what goes on in your establishment.

She says everyone knows there's video cameras in some places in Rankin, but those who break the law also know many of them don't work properly, aren't hooked up right, or often don't have tapes in the recorder.

"You don't need tapes or disks of any kind with this system because everything is recorded straight to a hard drive," says Tara.

"If you record someone doing something wrong, you can simply copy it to a CD-ROM and drop it off to the RCMP."

The system's software is so advanced it can compare body movements of people who have come into an establishment during the past few months with someone it recorded committing an illegal act with their face covered.

Tara says you can even set it up to send an e-mail with a clip of what it recorded after detecting motion.

"It can alert you if a staff member goes through a door they're not supposed to, or if they enter your office at a time when they shouldn't be in there.

"We've already done the M&T installation and we're hoping other businesses appreciate the value of having a surveillance system like this at their establishments."

Tara says people can use as many cameras as they want with the system, as long as they're not in areas such as a bathroom or change room.

She says you can also have camera control from the Internet, which allows you to take a look at what's going on at work from your home.

"You can even add a thermostat to a camera and it will display the temperature in the building or send you an e-mail if it reaches a predetermined point.

"Bryan is doing the installations and we will be hiring one or two local people who are electrically inclined.

"The manufacturer (i3DVR International Ltd.) and this digital video management system are both top-notch right across the board."