Police and Council Join Forces to Outsmart Thieves

After contacting the Smart Water company – they have received £20,000 in sponsorship for property marking kits for victims of crime in Middlesbrough.
 
Crime Reduction Officer PC Ged Kirkbright said: “Property Marking is another useful tool in the fight against crime.  Marking your valuables with your postcode and house number or marking with a forensic system, will reduce the chance of them being stolen whilst increasing the chance of getting them back. Smart Water has been used extensively in our schools and has helped reduce the number of burglaries by over 70%.”

Gerry McBride, Corporate Security Officer for Middlesbrough Council, said: “Working closely with Middlesbrough Police we marked property in all of our schools with the forensic property marking solution, resulting in a huge decrease in crime.  On one occasion, a house in Middlesbrough, searched by police teams, uncovered a stolen computer monitor marked with Smart Water. The monitor was quickly returned to the school from which it was stolen.

“We were fortunate to receive a further 500 kits following a successful bid to the SmartWater Foundation, which we made available through the police to distribute to victims of crime in the wider community of Middlesbrough.”

The Property Marking kits which retail at over £50.00 each have been distributed to victims of burglary and other vulnerable people in the Middlesbrough area. 

PC Kirkbright added: “We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Council to reduce crime across Middlesbrough and look for new ways to make life hard for thieves. Smart Water can be used to mark property but can also be used to mark thieves at the scene of a crime.”