A clear liquid used to security mark items has helped to jail four thieves following a burglary in Befordshire.

The use of SmartWater formed part of the evidence against the four men, who were recently sentenced to a total of 17 years Imprisonment for numerous break-ins. One of them had been found with a television stolen during a burglary in Dunstable. The TV had been marked with SmartWater and was identified as stolen property when it was recovered.

SmartWater can be used to mark any kind of property from electrical items to jewellery. When placed under ultraviolet light the liquid, which is invisible to the eye and cannot be removed, glows fluorescent yellow. Any stolen property marked with SmartWater can be checked on a database and traced back to its owner.

Bedfordshire Police have custody suites fitted with high-tech ultra-violet light units which can check to see whether someone has been in contact with SmartWater. A hand-held light is also used by custody officers to examine all property confiscated from prisoners, such as mobile telephones, as they are booked into the system.

To date there are around 3,000 homes in Central Bedfordshire registered with SmartWater and the force is eager to get more residents to mark up their property in the interests of crime prevention. Officers are urging homeowners and businesses to invest in SmartWater to mark their property as part of the ongoing county-wide initiative Operation Vision, which is aimed at spreading crime prevention advice and reducing burglary.

Chief Inspector Neill Waring said: “SmartWater detectors are up and running in Bedfordshire and helping to put the fear of crime where it should be with the criminals. In some cases offenders won’t even realise they have been in contact with SmartWater until they pass our ultraviolet lights, after which they will have some serious explaining to do. We are encouraging more businesses and residents to security mark their property with SmartWater because it is only by working together that we can truly impact on crime.”

SmartWater is a simple anti-intruder device useable in all types of organisation and business which creates an irrefutable link between the criminal and the crime scene. The Smartwater Index Spray System sprays the criminal with a water based solution containing a unique ‘forensic code’.

SmartWater Index is activated through a low pressure spray system installed at strategic points around your premises, spraying criminals through one of a range of directional nozzles.

SmartWater Index remains detectable on skin and hair for weeks and even longer on clothing. The solution is not visible to the naked eye but glows brightly beneath ultra violet light.

Any criminal caught withSmartwater on them is conclusively placed at the scene of a crime by the unique “forensic fingerprint” held within the spray.

95% of UK police forces utilise Smartwater extensively in support of covert operations.

Features:

• Extremely difficult to remove from the skin
• Virtually impossible to remove from clothing and other materials
• Invisible to the naked eye, but fluoresces under UV light
• Contains a unique forensic signature
• Solution has the additional potential to provide conclusive fingerprint and footwear evidence
• Extremely adaptable, can be set up to spray a defined pattern eg three metre circle, two metre curtain or four metre curtain

SmartWater is simple to use and is highly effective in deterring thefts and protecting small and valuable items.