NEW liquid technology used by the Safer Neighbourhood Team in Fulham has resulted in a massive drop in burglaries.
The Munster ward, which was in the top 20 most burgled areas in the UK, has seen a 43 per cent fall in the crime since the property-marking technology was introduced.
Officers handed out the SmartWater to residents last January, which can be used to put a mark on household valuables such as computers and jewellery. It is invisible to the eye and irremovable.
Sgt Dave Turtle, from Munster ward SNT, said: "Now SmartWater has been introduced burglars are thinking twice about committing crime.
"The message to offenders is that the police and council have a zero-tolerance policy to crime in this borough and if you steal something that has SmartWater on it, you might not know about it until you walk through our custody doors."
Any item that has been marked with the solution glows bright green when placed under ultraviolet (UV) light and has a signature which allows officers to prove the ownership of the goods. The SmartWater can then be used to forensically link an offender to a crime long after the incident took place.
UV light arches have been installed in custody suites across the borough, and all prisoners and recovered property are now scanned to check for traces of the solution. Staff have also been issued with UV torches to use during stop and search patrols.
