A marine marking kit is Dorset Police’s latest response to theft and criminal damage in boating communities around the Dorset area.
The SelectaDNA Marine Kit has been developed by leading asset and property marking company Selectamark and features their latest hi-tech forensic marking product.
SelectaDNA is an invisible marking solution which is virtually impossible to remove. It contains microdots, a unique DNA code and an ultra-violet marker. All items that are marked are then registered on a secure online database which can be accessed by the police.
If an item is stolen, any traces of the liquid will show up under a UV light and, because of the unique forensic code, the property can then be traced back to its rightful owner.
It is being used in the Dorset area to mark items at risk of being stolen from boats such as outboard engines, propellers, lifejackets, removable fuel tanks, GPS satellite units and radios, oars, waterproofs and flare boxes. Over the past few months, Selectamark has worked closely with Dorset Police to produce the tailor-made marine kit including specific product labels and advice for boat owners.
Accident prevention charity LV= Streetwise, which runs the indoor ‘safety village’ in Bournemouth, has also come onboard as a local distributor to support the sale of SelectaDNA in Dorset.
The new kits were launched by Dave Wilson, manager of Cobbs Quay in Poole Harbour, and Alison Shelton, LV= Streetwise manager, at the recent Cobbs Quay Berth Holders AGM.
Alison Shelton said: “Now the scheme has started, it is unstoppable and will undoubtedly be an ongoing deterrent. We hope to prevent the dismay and devastation that discovering a theft can cause and help minimise the disruption for owners as they become reunited with their property more speedily.”
The kits will now be rolled out to members of the marine community with Cobbs Quay and Parkstone Yacht Club (also in Poole) among the first to purchase kits. Over the next few weeks every marina and Harbour Watch in Dorset will be notified of its availability.
Tristan Oliver from the Dorset Police Marine Section said: “Dorset is a very safe area but like any property, boats are always at risk from thieves. The other problem we have is that many boat owners don’t always remember the make or model or even colour of some of their property. The use and promotion of the marine kits containing SelectaDNA is a major part of the processes of prevention and detection and will help us ensure that Dorset is even safer.”
Dorset Police Crime Prevention Officer, Mark Harper, added: “In the first instance acquisitive criminals are fully aware of the risks of being caught in possession of SelectaDNA-marked property so are less likely to steal if they see labels indicating that property is marked.
“Secondly, should they take the risk and then be caught in possession of stolen property by the police, the officers can identify who it actually belongs to ‘on the spot’ through the unique microdot system. This is very reassuring to any victim of acquisitive crime that can’t remember details of their property.”
