Police get smart to reduce crime

SmartWater shows up under ultra-violet light

A major crime-prevention operation has been launched in Cambridgeshire which will see homes, businesses, metal and machinery marked with coded water.

SmartWater is a liquid containing a code that marks objects and allows police to identify them.

People living in Huntingdonshire and Fenland will be given kits by police to mark their property and their details will be registered on a database

BT and Anglian Water are also using the water to mark metal on their sites.

SmartWater is invisible to the naked eye but glows under ultra-violet light and can be applied to most property or be triggered to spray on a burglar.

'DNA-style' code

The liquid contains a DNA-style code which is unique to each location treated so any recovered property can be traced back to its owners.

Countryside Watch is also working with Cambridgeshire Police to mark valuable machinery and equipment.

Anglian Water is using SmartWater at 1,000 sites across the East of England to try to reduce metal thefts from its sites.

Det Insp Andy Gipp said: "Metal theft can affect anyone, residents and businesses alike, so it's fantastic that the Countryside Watch, BT and Anglian Water are taking it so seriously."

The SmartWater kits will be handed out first in the Wisbech area.