“Smartwater”

Schools across Dumfries and Galloway have taken on a new tool to outsmart the thieves. SMARTWATER, a protective marking system which comes in a liquid-based solution is used to link a criminal to a crime scene. It works through the use of a forensically-unique liquid, like a fingerprint, and it is used to mark equipment and property in homes, offices, shops, or in this case schools.

The use of SMARTWATER is registered and details are kept on a database for identification purposes. Should property be stolen from a school and subsequently recovered, if checked and found to be marked with SMARTWATER, it can be tested and the school identified.

SMARTWATER can also be used in a spray as part of an intruder alarm system and sprayed directly onto an intruder without them even knowing this has happened. All police custody suites across the region are now fitted with equipment which can identify the presence of SMARTWATER on someone who is being taken into custody. Again, if someone tests positive, SMARTWATER will identify which school the intruder has violated.

The solution is not harmful and stays on the skin until exfoliation occurs, and is virtually impossible to remove from clothing or shoes.

Crime Reduction Officer Derek Hughes of Dumfries says that “the introduction of SMARTWATER into all schools in Dumfries and Galloway is another step towards protecting some of our most valuable buildings in the region. As we enter the summer school breaks, when the buildings are empty for a long period of time, it gives added protection to the building and the contents. Thieves coming into our custody anywhere in the force are routinely checked for the presence of SMARTWATER and if found, we will be able to find out which school, or other building they have broken into”.

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