What would you think if you were offered a stained banknote as part of a transaction?
Would you consider that the note might be stolen? Or would you think nothing of it and accept it automatically? The national crime prevention initiative Banknote Watch is launching a new campaign to educate the businesses and the public that a stained note is probably a stolen note.<br><br>Alan Townsend, Chairman of Banknote Watch, says: "Each year in the UK, hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash is stolen and stained during the robbery due to the use of cash degradation systems that serve to indelibly mark the cash. If this stained cash then goes into circulation, criminals are being allowed to profit from the proceeds of crime and are encouraged to steal again."<br><br>"To help prevent this cycle of crime, businesses are advised not to accept stained banknotes if offered them by a customer. Ask the customer to take it to a bank, building society or Post Office and obtain a form BEMN for the repayment of damaged notes. By filling in this form and going through the proper channels, providing the note is genuine, they will be reimbursed for the note they have handed in."<br><br>Notes can be stained with various different colours depending on the system used to stain the note when it is stolen โ red, purple, blue and green stains are all used cash degradation systems. Posters showing what stained notes look like are available from Banknote Watch to educate your staff. More information and advice on stained and stolen notes is available by emailing info@banknotewatch.co.uk
Meanwhile, Ali Lwanga, the first cash-in-transit robber to be convicted using SmartWater forensic evidence from a cashbox used by cash in transit company, G4S, has started an eight year jail term.
Lwanga, aged 21, of Baron Walk, Newham, was found guilty of conspiracy to rob at Wood Green Crown Court in July, following a string of robberies across East London. The case against Mr Lwanga was aided by irrefutable forensic evidence provided by SmartWater, an invisible liquid which can only be seen under ultra-violet light.
In the past, robbers and any stolen notes were stained with a brightly covered ink from the cashbox, but this had minimal evidential value to the police, and therefore had little impact as a deterrent. However, SmartWaterโs scientists, working with G4S and the police, developed the means to trace the cashbox ink back to a particular robbery. The system was rolled out by G4S in London in October 2007 and has since been launched around the UK, turning the tables on the criminal fraternity.
Mr Lwanga, who claimed he committed these crimes to pay off debts, had recruited a team of youths to carry out the robberies, allowing him to direct the attacks from a safe distance. Tests conducted by SmartWater scientists on recovered money and clothing provided the evidence linking Mr Lwanga to at least four CIT robberies and three cases of money laundering. This had a significant bearing on the severity of the sentence handed out by the court.
The news of Lwangaโs eight year sentence and the threat posed by SmartWater technology will spread rapidly through the criminal fraternity and act as a major deterrent it is claimed. However, there is already evidence that robbersโ appetite for this type of crime has been dampened by G4Sโs use of SmartWater, as attacks are down.
Investigating officer DC Laurie Bays, from Barking Flying Squad, said: "Lwanga was a prolific robber who claimed he was committing crime to pay off debts. The jury discounted this defence.
"This is the first time SmartWater evidence has been presented during a trial to help us convict a cash-in-transit robber and it’s proving to be an extremely valuable tool in both detecting and preventing crime as its incorporated into G4S cash boxes.
"The liquid is invisible to the naked eye but remains on skin or property for a considerable period of time. Rather like a barcode it has a unique reference that means if a sample is found it can easily and quickly be traced to the point of origin, in our case several cash boxes stolen during robberies. We hope this conviction will serve as a warning to other potential criminals."
Adam Miller, risk director of G4S Cash Services (UK), said: "This conviction is testament to the excellent work of the Met police and we thank them for their diligence in pursuing the perpetrators of this crime.
"Over the last decade, the cash-in-transit industry has seen a marked increase in the number and severity of criminal attacks against couriers. The use of SmartWater technology should be a major deterrent to those considering attacking a cash-in-transit courier."
Phil Cleary, chief executive officer for SmartWater, said: "This is a very positive result for the Met Police, G4S and all other users of SmartWater. In this instance, our scientists were able to forensically link the offender to four separate robberies, demonstrating the power of the technology, which should act as a severe warning to all criminals that they should keep away from anything or anyone protected by SmartWater." http://www.smartwater.com
