Police and school fine smart way to deter crime

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Police and school fine smart way to deter crime

A Cheltenham school is set to benefit from the latest crime-fighting technology, as they have recently purchased state of the art forensic equipment to help protect their property and buildings.

Officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary's Schools Unit attended Charlton Kings Junior School today (Thursday March 15) and spoke to pupils about how SmartWater works and how it can help catch criminals.

SmartWater is a liquid solution which, when applied to property, gives it a unique "forensic fingerprint".

The "fingerprint" is unique to each school and means property can be identified immediately, making stolen goods virtually worthless to thieves.

All high-value goods, including laptop computers, digital projectors and video cameras, can be marked with the water, which has forensic properties similar to DNA and can conclusively link property to its owners and criminals to the crime scene.

SmartWater Schools Unit co-ordinator Pc Darren Peters said: "More than 300 schools in Gloucestershire are now protected by SmartWater. Our aim is to make schools as safe and crime free as we possibly can. SmartWater will enable us to identify stolen property more effectively than ever before.

"We hope the pupils will help us to spread the message that the school's property is marked with a unique code, and anyone thinking of stealing it will be caught very easily."

The school will also be fitted with large signs warning potential thieves the property is equipped with SmartWater.

The product has already helped to significantly reduce crime in other local authority areas, and police and the county council have been working with schools to encourage them to sign up to the scheme.

Posted : 15/03/2007 17:50:00

PLEASE NOTE: This story has been archived and the information contained within it may no longer be correct.


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