13
May
2014
By Calvin at 09:12 GMT, 12 years ago
Hundreds of homes in Laindon have been visited by police officers since April 1st, asking residents to sign up to the SmartWater initiative.
Every participating household has been issued with a uniquely-coded bottle of SmartWater solution, which is simply brushed on to household valuables.
Once applied, the solution is almost impossible to remove and is only detectable under UV light. This technique allows officers to identify stolen goods once checked under the light. The unique code within the solution provides an irrefutable forensic link back to the owner of the stolen goods and also links the criminal with the crime scene.
Offenders quickly realise the chances of being caught are greatly increased because police are checking every item of stolen property recovered for any trace of SmartWater.
Every suspect arrested is also screened for traces of the fluid on their clothes and their body which would link them to a theft.
Basildon Police will also have access to SmartWater spray systems, which can be deployed overtly or covertly to spray criminals in the act of committing a crime.
Sergeant Fergus Caulfield is leading the initiative. He said: “We are committed to reducing crime and believe this will be a valuable tool in achieving that aim. We will also be visiting pawn shops, and other second-hand stores to distribute UV checking lamps and encourage them to check for SmartWater on items they are offered for sale.
“If criminals know that SmartWater has been used, it makes it much less attractive to them. They know they will be more likely to get caught and it makes it harder for them to sell things they steal.”
TCPW Comment: These initiatives work best when thieves are pre-warned about the presence of a proprietary marking system through the use of signs on lampposts and stickers in windows. However, whilst property marking is an important part of your home security arrangements a high standard of physical security is extremely important as well.
Find out what you need to do to make your property secure by carrying out our free Home Security Survey. Once completed you’ll be sent a free report tailored just for you with a big list of things to do!
2,742 people have completed our survey and its satisfaction rate is a whopping 98%!
Story source Essex Police: http://www.essex.police.uk/news_features/latest_news_updates/crime_prevention_scheme_launch.aspx?lang=en-gb&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Home Security Survey: http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/home-security-assessment/468/home-security-survey--diy/
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