Harrow deal for SmartWater crime fighting campaign

The SmartWater crime fighting strategy will be offered free of charge to the 85,000 private homes and social housing in Harrow.
 
Householders mark their valuables with the SmartWater solution, which leaves an indelible and individual trace on valuables. It glows under ultraviolet light making it easy for the police to detect, ensuring that if stolen, the property can be linked back to its owner.

As part of the SmartWater campaign, Harrow Police are being equipped with UV detection equipment at no cost, whilst Harrow Council will partner with the police on separate covert operations to target persistent offenders.

These covert operations will deploy cutting-edge SmartWater spray systems which mark offender’s skin, clothing and hair linking them to a specific crime scene.
 
The Harrow deal is part of a framework contract for the whole of London, which means other London boroughs can offer the system to their residents without having to go through the Official Journal of the European Union process.
 
The strategy has been shown to work, as the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership recently treated their 50,000th home in Nottingham with SmartWater.

Burglaries across Nottingham fell by 20 per cent in 2009 and two Northampton estates using SmartWater recorded a fall in burglaries of almost 70 per cent.
 
SmartWater already works with 95 per cent of police forces to help reduce crime and across the country one million homes are already protected with SmartWater.
 
The standardisation of identification of property has major benefits to both police and London citizens as it reduces confusion within law enforcement community, increases motivation in terms of scanning recovered property, which creates anxiety within criminals as it makes property ‘too hot to handle’.

Further information:
SmartWater