A hospital in Harlow has taken advantage of an opportunity to safeguard its property from theft.
Over the past year police, working with The Safer Harlow Partnership, have funded Smartwater for local residents, schools, Harlow College and now The Princess Alexandra Hospital in a bid to deter thieves and make Harlow a safe place to live, work and visit.
Smartwater is a forensically-based property-marking system which is a colourless and odourless liquid which is easy to apply but virtually impossible to remove, containing a high-tech coding system which helps prove lawful ownership should their property become lost or stolen.
Supt Mike Martin said: "The aim of Smartwater is to deter and detect those who steal. We want to mark as much property as we can in Harlow. It will make thieves think twice from stealing here as most second-hand shops use an ultra violet lamp to check for such markings, it also assists my officers in detecting criminals who handle stolen property.
"We often seize property from suspected thieves, but because we cannot find the rightful owners and cannot prove it is stolen we sometimes have to give it back to the thief.
“Hospital staff will be marking as much property as possible including labelling the property with visible Smartwater stickers. The visible stickers, which state the property is marked is also a deterrent for thieves from stealing it in the first place as it makes it difficult for them to sell the items on."
The pack will have enough solution for staff to mark all valuables within the hospital grounds with the solution, which contains their own unique forensic code registered to the hospital.
Each solution contains its own DNA, including some tiny particles that are uniquely numbered, which are invisible to the naked eye, but detectable under ultraviolet light. Above all, it is a proven deterrent to thieves.
Lynn Court, from Princess Alexandra Hospital, added: “We are grateful to be given the opportunity to use Smartwater to protect hospital property. By visibly marking our property with stickers saying it has been branded by Smartwater then hopefully it will stop people from stealing it. If unfortunately it is stolen the unique reference will allow items to be traced back to the Trust should they be found.”
