Some recent case studies of property marking.
Hertfordshire businesses are starting the New Year with security in place for valuable office equipment after the introduction of property marking in Letchworth Garden City.
Officers and Police Community Support Officers from the Letchworth Safer Neighbourhood Team, along with volunteers from the North Herts Crime Prevention Panel, have been giving out advice as well as SelectaDNA property marking kits from the mobile police station at the Works Road industrial estate.
SelectaDNA is a forensic marking solution containing a unique DNA code and UV markers that glow under ultra-violet light. It can be used to mark all types of business equipment including computers, laptops, printers, scanners and industrial machinery. If a marked item is stolen and recovered by police, it can be traced back to the individual business by way of the DNA marking.
Many members of the 122-strong Business Watch in Letchworth have already been using Selecta DNA, but the Safer Neighbourhood Team is encouraging all businesses to take part. The project is being funded by the Community Safety Partnership, including the police and North Herts District Council.
Letchworth Safer Neighbourhood Sergeant Steve Oliphant said: “Used in conjunction with warning signs and stickers, we think this initiative will make thieves think twice before breaking in to steal property that can be easily identified as stolen.”
He added: “We think it’s an amazing opportunity for businesses to make their property and equipment more secure.”
A nursery in Burnley, Lancashire, is now protected by SelectaDNA following a spate of severely disruptive thefts.
Equipment at Rosegrove Nursery School has been marked with the forensic DNA after it was targeted five times in the last six months by thieves who made off with a scanner worth £400 and caused around £1,000 damage.
Local Neighbourhood Police Officers have installed SelectaDNA both inside and outside the building. The transferable DNA, which cannot be washed away, comes in a range of products including a special grease with its own unique code. This transfers to the skin, clothes, hair and shoes of an offender forensically linking them to the scene of a crime.
Crime Prevention Officer PC Phil Buck said: "Offenders have been so determined they have risked serious injury climbing the fences to enter the building. These thefts have not only caused stress to the staff, children and parents who use the school but significant damage has also been caused to gain entry.”
Nursery resources and staff have been stretched to the limit by the break-ins, according to Sarah Jones, acting headteacher at the nursery. Ms Jones said: “We hope that investing in this innovative product will deter any potential future intruders.”
As an added warning to burglars, deterrent warning signs have been erected on the perimeter fence of the nursery.
PCSO Charlotte Broadhurst who installed the SelectaDNA has a simple message for any would-be robbers: “If you break in again, we will catch you."
And theft from student accommodation in a suburb of Birmingham has dropped after the use of forensic property marking product SelectaDNA as part of crime prevention measures.
Burglaries from student homes in Selly Oak during October 2010 fell when compared to the previous four years. Traditionally, burglaries in Selly Oak rocket in the month of October as students arrive in Birmingham for the academic year and may be unaware of the dangers of leaving goods on show and windows open.
Student homes are seen as rich pickings by criminals who are able to swipe multiple laptops, mobile phones, TVs and other valuables from just one residence, which might be home to several students.
But a new scheme has helped slam the door shut on student burglary as a team of Community Wardens from the Guild of Students at the University of Birmingham, has joined up with security officials and West Midlands Police to target the crooks.
The initiative involves a door-to-door campaign highlighting the importance of security and the launch of a dedicated text service which sends students relevant crime information. Students are also being encouraged to use SelectaDNA to mark their valuable electronic equipment.
The crime-fighting kits contain a bottle of SelectaDNA formula, which is made up of an ultraviolet tracer and a unique DNA code. If a marked item is stolen and later recovered by police, it can be scanned and traced back to the rightful owner via the DNA marking.
Jonny Kirby, Vice President Housing & Community at the Guild of Students, said: “The Community Wardens are committed to making sure Selly Oak is a better place for all who live there. With the latest figures, it certainly seems that their dedication and tenacity is starting to pay off.
“The fact that burglaries in the area have dropped by 70 per cent, during a time notorious for break-ins, is a tremendous achievement,” he added.
