In King’s Lynn, Norfolk, as part of a police-led crime reduction initiative, more than 75 residents living in The Friars area of the town now have their property forensically protected with a solution that will identify the items if they are stolen.
SelectaDNA, applied onto any personal property, is a water-based adhesive containing a DNA strand and microdots unique to a house-holder and is identified by the police using specialist equipment. The Friars is the first place in Norfolk to pilot the use of SelectaDNA in all types of property both domestic and commercial within an identifiable neighbourhood. King’s Lynn Inspector Dennis Lacey said: "One of the main advantages of using a product like SelectaDNA is that it is impossible to remove all traces of it and identification can be made from tiny specks the size of a pin head. This makes our job a lot easier.
"It acts as a deterrent to thieves in the first instance – but if items are stolen, it is much easier for us to detect the offenders. Local thieves have been warned." The initiative is a joint venture between the Lynn North Safer Neighbourhood Team and partner agencies involved in crime prevention.
To qualify for a SelectaDNA kit, which usually retails at £49.99, residents were required to take an active role in crime prevention in the area by establishing and joining a local Home Watch group. The use of SelectaDNA at homes in the area is being heavily publicised to leave would-be thieves in no doubt about the risks posed of operating in the area. Street signs are being placed in the community and police have teamed up with local bus company Norfolk Green to advertise the initiative on the back of some local buses.
Crime Prevention officer PC Steve Gower, who introduced the scheme, said: "SelectaDNA essentially renders the user’s property and personal items worthless to a thief. Anyone found in possession of a stolen item with this marking is going to be arrested. It’s a technique that’s proved successful in many other parts of the country and already another Home Watch scheme in King’s Lynn has paid for their own kits to use."
Jane Dearling, a Friars resident and vice-chairman of the Friar’s Community Group, said: "The Friar’s Community Group will support, encourage and participate in any initiative that increases the security of the property in the Friars and leads to the area being a safe place in which to live."
