SmartWater

SmartWater is a colourless, odourless liquid that forensically links burglars to crime scenes.

It can be used to mark property in homes, businesses, schools, churches and other public buildings, if used in its spray form it will spray the burglar committing crime.

As part of an initial pilot scheme the police in Lowestoft have teamed up with Waveney Community Safety Partnership and Waveney Local Strategic Partnership to distribute leaflets to households offering residents the opportunity to have their property marked with the solution free of charge.

Following on from the success in the Waveney area and with the support of the Suffolk Coastal Community Safety Partnership the scheme is now being extended to cover the Leiston area.

If you receive a leaflet you’ll be able to make an appointment to have your valuables, mobiles, cameras, TVs, satellite navigation system, music players, etc - marked up with a special solution which will be unique to you - dramatically increasing the chances of property being returned to you if it is stolen and linking anyone found with the item to the crime.

Get even the smallest amount of SmartWater on you and you’ll be marked - it’s invisible to the naked eye but is virtually impossible to remove.

Police will carry ultra violet lights to check individuals and property and anyone coming into custody at Lowestoft will be checked as a matter of routine.

Burglars won’t know which property has been marked or which home has been equipped with it but if you are sprayed, police will be able to tell not only that you’ve committed a burglary but what address you committed it at.

If you are found with an item that has been marked, we will be able to tell where it has come from, we will be able to reunite it with its rightful owner and you are likely to face a burglary or handling stolen property charge.

SmartWater doesn’t harm property or those sprayed, but the liquid bears a chemical code that is unique, permanent and can be traced back to the home it came from.

Funding for the initiative has come from Waveney Community Safety Partnership, Waveney Local Strategic Partnership, Suffolk Coastal Community Safety Partnership and Suffolk Police.

The initiative is being rolled out across the area and you will receive a leaflet giving more information when it reaches your street.