This is a really great initiative. Lewisham Council Community Safety Officers in partnership with Lewisham Police will be working to promote a new burglary initiative, piloted in the Telegraph Hill and Brockley Wards over the next few days. They will be promoting and supplying 'Smart Water' property marking kits to local residents and explaining it's uses, while at the same time offering support and advice about crime prevention.
Initially 1,200 residents across the borough will be offered the packs for free and if the initiative is successful more may be issued in the future. The use of Smart Water in other areas has shown a reduction in burglary rates, and a higher rate of convictions.
What is SmartWater?
Each SmartWater system contains a unique forensic code which is simply dabbed into the nooks and crannies of your valuables. Each SmartWater code is stored on a secure database together with the owner’s details making them uniquely identifiable.
Once dry, SmartWater is virtually impossible to remove and any traces will glow under ultra-violet light. SmartWater irrefutably links criminals to the crime scene and property back to its owner.
SmartWater is an Official Police Accredited Organisation.
When used by UK police forces as part of their crime prevention initiatives, SmartWater has achieved reductions in burglary of up to 84%.
Using SmartWater
TVs, Stereo Systems, Mobile Phones, MP3 Players, i-Pods, Jewellery, Play stations and X-boxes etc can be marked with SmartWater.
It may not be possible to mark all property, therefore consider what property would be most difficult to replace financially and/or has the greatest sentimental value.
Mark items in sheds and garages, as they often contain items of high value.
Removable items in vehicles can be marked, particularly SAT NAV systems.
Marking is easy – just brush a small amount of the liquid onto the property to be marked.
Where possible, mark the property on the underneath, side, inside or at the back.
Each SmartWater kit has a unique reference number that will be registered to your address alone.
If the property is sold, lost or disposed of, record it on a list or in a diary, including the date and if known, any new owner details.
What next?
Officers will be calling on your doors and will show you appropriate credetials. Residents then complete the paperwork, in order that SmartWater have their details and can be contacted if property is recovered by the police after a burglary.
The police have a UV detection arch in Lewisham Police Station and the burglary squad have been issued with UV detector lamps which can pick up SmartWater.
Residents should also put a SmartWater sticker in their window to let people know property is marked. Signs will be put up in the local area to say that SmartWater has been distributed to residents.
I would recommend it. If you miss the officers when they call round, let me or one of the Labour Action Team know and we can see if we can get a revisit booked.
For more information on Smartwater, click the link HERE.
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