Hi guys, a little bit of exciting news today! On Friday 5th October 2012, Kelly, myself, Councillor Beverley Hutchinson, Lesley Wardle & Paul Gallagher (from Places for People) and the Police (including the Chief Inspector and PCSO Liz Harley), oh and Jenny Chapman (our local MP) all joined forces to make the housing estate which I live on a much safer place to live in.
Smart Water kits were purchased, courtesy of Places for People, for the 160 houses and flats which are on the Whinfield estate. If you aren’t familiar with the term ‘Smart Water’ here’s the low down. SmartWater is a forensic property marker and it is the latest Forensic Identification System enforced by the Police. The kit contains a solution of Smart Water, which is applied kind of like a lip gloss. Also, there is a registration form and numerous window stickers and small stickers for your goods. Displaying the signage supplied with the Smart Water kit is a great way to deter potential thieves, especially since the SmartWater logo is well known among criminals. The bottle of Smart Water solution has a unique code on it which corresponds to the code on the registration form within the Smart Water pack. Once the registration form is filled in, the Police update all the details corresponding to that specific Smart Water Kit in to the Smart Water database.
Each smart watering kit is unique, and it works like DNA! Basically, you apply a small dab of Smart Water on to your valuable belongings such as your TV, stereo, PS3, Xbox, jewellery and so on. The Smart Water then dries in and is only visible under UV light (which I believe the Police now carry as part of their kit!). If the Police recover an item which they believe to be stolen, they will shine their UV light over the item and discover it has been Smart Watered. Once they have discovered the item to be Smart Watered, they then do some kind of test which identifies the item to belonging to the unique code. Once the database pulls up the owner of the Smart Watering kit, the stolen items are returned to the rightful owner.
The Smart Water solution is guaranteed for 5 years on the surface of goods, however the Police have known some surfaces to last 10 years apparently. The thing I like about Smart Water is that it can be used on a variety of goods, most surprisingly to me was the fact it is safe to use on jewellery. Smart Water can also be applied to bikes, garden furniture and so on. This new high tech kit is sure to make thieves in our area think twice before stealing valuable belongings.
To get your Smart Water Kit contact your local Police Station and they will advise you with full details on how to obtain your very own kit. The kit (so i’ve heard) costs around £40, but if you sign up to the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme the kit can be purchased for only £10. What are you waiting for, get Smart Watered and deter the fight against crime!
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