SmartWater has hailed forensic evidence that has helped Kent Police to convict a burglar who stole over £8,000 of mobile phones and computer games.
During the raid at a Woolworths store in August, Louis Sheehan, 27, from Broadstairs in Kent, was sprayed with SmartWater as he attempted to gain access to the site. Police subsequently found samples of the SmartWater on his shoes, which irrefutably linked him with the crime scene. Mr Sheehan has now been jailed for three years.
SmartWater is a forensic liquid, which is invisible under normal lighting and carries a chemical trace, similar to DNA. It will stay on skin for weeks and is virtually impossible to remove from clothing and footwear. Kent Police have installed UV lighting within stations, under which any traces of the product will fluoresce a bright green colour. The product has over 500 UK convictions to its name and has a 100pc conviction rate when used as evidence in court.
Elsewhere in Kent, the product is being rolled out across homes in Cliftonville by neighbourhood officers with the aim of reducing domestic burlgary. A total of 3,000 homes will each receive a system to mark their personal valuables, which will each be assigned with their own unique forensic code. A Nintendo Wii belonging to a Cliftonville resident has already been returned to its rightful owner after being marked in this way.
The project is being supported with financial backing from the Margate Safer Stronger Communities Fund and the Thanet Community Safety Partnership.
Inspector Kevin Dyer from Kent Police said: "This has proved extremely successful as a crime fighting tool in other parts of the country. The criminal fraternity know about SmartWater and know the consequences of being either sprayed with it or carrying stolen items marked by it."
Phil Cleary, Chief Eecutive of SmartWater, said: "SmartWater is a proven method for reducing crime, whilst our technology can forensically link an offender within an individual crime scene. This will act as a powerful warning to any criminals operating locally. Louis Sheehan failed to heed this warning and now faces three years in jail."
