MOSQUES are to be protected with a special invisible liquid that marks valuab1e property, following a spate of break-ins.
In the past eight weeks burglars have targeted Blackburn mosques in Millham Street, Troy Street, Oak Street and Cedar Street and in some cases, have made off with cash and charity collection tins. Community leaders are calling for residents living near the premises to report any suspicious behavior.
Coun Sajid Ali, of Bastwell ward, said: “I don’t know if it is because of the credit crunch and people wanting to grab anything they can, but these attacks on mosques have risen. A place of worship is the last place that anyone should think to steal from. Those who go to the mosques and anyone who lives nearby should keep an eye out for thieves and report anything unusual to police.”
Police have now given SmartWater kits to all 14 mosques in the Brookhouse, Bastwell and Shear Brow areas and will be rolling the initiative out to others in the near future.
SmartWater is a transparent liquid which has a unique identification barcode, invisible to the naked eye and can be marked on to property to prove ownership of items.
PC Ayub Mal, Blackburn north east neighbourhood police team, said: “We have spoken to representatives from each mosque. The SmartWater is being put on office equipment and high value property. SmartWater is a very effective tool in deterring criminals and allowing us to return property back to its owner.”
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