POLICE have been knocking on doors in Cambridge to dish out a crime-busting tool called SmartWater.
Cambridge City Community Safety Partnership has funded the project in which the liquid will be taken into homes by officer’s arid PCSOs who mark valuable items, and those with sentimental value, with the DNA-like substance. So far, 107 homes have been offered it and 87 have taken it up. Smart Water is a prevention and detection tool and links offenders to the crime scene.
On Saturday, police, Cambridge City Council housing officers, the city council Safer Communities Section, city rangers and the fire service went out delivering SmartWater along with other security advice. Officers, PCSOs and Safer Communities staff took SmartWater direct to residents’ homes and helped them to apply it to their valuables and items of sentimental value. They also helped residents register their details on the SmartWater database. This means any property that is stolen and then recovered can be traced back to its rightful owner.
At the same time, signs are going up in the street to promote the use of SmartWater in the area.
Liz Bisset, chair of the Community Safety Partnership arid director of community services at Cambridge City Council, said: “This is an extremely exciting project and one that both the community safety partnership and the city council are pleased to support. I would urge all those offered SmartWater on Saturday to take advantage of this kit arid to register all their valuables and display the stickers. I am convinced that I doing so it will have a further impact on crime in the city.”
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