Churches in Blackburn are being protected from metal and stone theft thanks to a new scheme funded by the local council and police.
Blackburn with Darwen Council with the East Division Local Neighbourhood Policing Team are using SelectaDNA Trace to protect Holy Trinity church near Blackburn town centre, and St Oswald’s in Knuzden, pictured.
Redundant and undergoing renovation work, Holy Trinity had been a target for thieves for six months with two break-ins to steal metal and numerous removals of York stone slabs. Since the Trace marking product was used on the 250-year old building in May, there have been no further thefts.
Having heard about the use of Trace at Holy Trinity, a parish member at St Oswald’s contacted the council to ask that flagstones in their new memorial garden be sprayed to protect them from theft too.
SelectaDNA Trace is the makers say suitable for outdoor metal marking projects. The solution, which comes in an aerosol contains two identifiers: Trace nanoparticles which authenticates the mark as a genuine SelectaDNA product, and metal microdots which identifies who the registered owner is. The code on the metal microdots is linked to a database for police to access via an online login.
As a forensic property marking product, it allows police to identify stolen property on the spot, which means they are no longer reliant on lengthy analysis. This has led led to arrests and convictions, with thieves admitting their crime because the on the spot evidence is so strong.
Michelle Rutherford, Neighbourhood Early Action Co-Ordinator, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: “SelectaDNA Trace was easy to use and didn’t leave visible marks on the items we sprayed. We put up deterrent warning signage on the church premises to warn thieves that DNA marking was in use. We are happy to report we have had no further break-ins or stone go missing since.” Visit www.selectadna.co.uk.
