The shopping District, or Shoutengai, in Koto-Ku, Tokyo is located next to a busy train station that gathers many restaurants, shops, and sake bars together in this newly vibrant neighbourhood. As the area becoming more commercially alive, there was an increasing concern for crimes taken place within the district, especially during late nights.
For the purpose of crime prevention, the Shopping District Association began to consider deploying surveillance cameras at the crime hot spots as a way to strengthen the public safety in the neighbourhood. Yet with its limited finances, the association had to look for an effective solution at a lower cost that would cope with its tight budget.