School uses Slough SmartWater
Electrical equipment and other items belonging to a school in Slough will be property marked with SmartWater™ solution today (19/2).
Slough Neighbourhood specialist officer (NSO) PC Cerrig Shardlow and PCSO Pietro Mingolla, together with school liaison officer PC Jim Jenkin, will be attending St Joseph’s School, in Shaggy Calf Lane, to property mark items including computers, laptops and other high-value items.
The initiative was the idea of Pietro, a former pupil of St Joseph’s, who has been working closely with the school in his role as PCSO for Wexham Lea.
PC Jim Jenkin said: “Today’s operation is to help safeguard the school’s property in the event of it going missing. When we recover property marked with SmartWater, we know immediately whether the goods are stolen, and can quickly find out who they really belong to.
“We can also easily identify offenders who have stolen items marked with SmartWater, as when detainees enter one of our custody suites in Berkshire East, they pass under a UV scanner, where any traces of the solution on their body or clothing show up straight away.”
He added: “The sophisticated solution has been used by many police forces throughout the country and has proved to be a very effective deterrent, resulting in reductions in burglary of between 48 and 100 per cent.
“St Joseph’s School has been very supportive of this crime reduction initiative, which we are carrying out during half-term to minimise disruption to the pupils and staff.”
SmartWater contains a non-hazardous, coded combination of chemicals. The clear liquid is simply painted onto the items to be protected. Each brush stroke contains a chemical trace similar to, but more robust than DNA.
When dry, SmartWater is virtually invisible in normal lighting conditions, but it glows a bright fluorescent yellow under ultraviolet (UV) light. It is almost impossible to remove, and even the slightest trace can be analysed in the forensic laboratory and used as evidence.
Thames Valley Police ~ Slough