Cash-in-transit (‘CIT’) robberies in London have reduced by 24 per cent since the introduction of the SmartWater marking product, according to G4S Cash Services (UK).
The cash-in-transit firm introduced the invisible liquid, to all its cashboxes in London last October. The technology, which works by spraying the criminals with a DNA-style code, cannot be seen by the naked eye but stays on the offender for up to six months.
The product is being used by G4S as part of its efforts to stamp out these often violent crimes. Criminals who break into a G4S cashbox are contaminated by the marking product, so the police can link an offender to a specific attack, providing them with forensic evidence.
Adam Miller, Risk Director, G4S Cash Services (UK) said: "It is very pleasing to see that attacks on our couriers have decreased so significantly since the introduction of this new technology. We are confident that our new security measures, including SmartWater, along with steps being taken by police forces across the country, will further reduce the number and severity of attacks against our staff."
Last summer Ali Lwanga, 21, of East London became the first cash-in-transit criminal convicted through forensic evidence using SmartWater. The ‘Fagin-style’ robber used a team of youths to carry out robberies across East London.
Background
Each year the cash-in-transit industry is estimated to transport around £500 billion, equivalent to £1.4 billion per day, by around 8,000 couriers using a fleet of some 4,000 vehicles.
