A mother accused a Sunday school teacher of molesting her young daughter. But the crime never happened—video from a church security camera proved the accusation false.

A couple broke into a church intent on stealing the Sunday offering. But a camera captured their faces—and the surveillance footage was used to identify both and link them to a string of burglaries.

Both real-life scenarios point to the benefits of church security cameras in a world in which such technology is readily available and increasingly affordable. Here are five reasons all churches should consider investing in cameras, according to security and insurance experts.

1. They can deter criminals, including sexual predators.

“If I am a burglar or I am someone interested in doing some type of a sexual act with a child, I’m going to go to the path of least resistance,” said Scott Figgins, vice president of underwriting for Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. “I’m going to go to the church that doesn’t have a very secure facility. . . . It’s just the common nature of those seeking to do bad things that they will go after the easiest targets.”

David White, senior risk control consultant with Church Mutual Insurance Company, echoed Figgins’s thoughts: “Cameras are great for deterring crime. Bad guys don’t want to get caught, and if there’s a chance they’re going to get caught, they’ll go to a softer target somewhere.”